Adenosine triphosphate (ATP)

Adenosine triphosphate (**ATP**) is a nucleotide composed of adenine, ribose sugar, and three phosphate groups. It serves as the universal **energy carrier** in all living cells by capturing chemical energy from food breakdown and releasing it to power essential cellular processes such as biosynthesis, muscle contraction, active transport across membranes, signal transduction via phosphorylation reactions by kinases, neurotransmission through purinergic receptors in the nervous system, regulation of blood flow, inflammatory responses, DNA/RNA synthesis, cell division, motility/exocytosis/endocytosis. Intracellular ATP concentration reflects mitochondrial function; its depletion or dysregulation underlies many pathological states including metabolic disorders and neurodegeneration. While crucial for life processes at the molecular level—and measurable as a biomarker—intracellular ATP itself is not considered a classical druggable target like enzymes or receptors but rather an essential metabolite whose homeostasis supports all aspects of cell biology[1][2][3][4][6].

Other names

Energy currency of the cellATP moleculeIntracellular ATP