Journal of Energy Bioscience 2025, Vol.16, No.1, 42-52 http://bioscipublisher.com/index.php/jeb 42 Review Article Open Access The Role of the Creatine Phosphate System in Energy Storage and Release: From Molecular Mechanisms to Physiological Functions Wenying Hong, Wenzhong Huang Biomass Research Center, Hainan Institute of Tropical Agricultural Resouces, Sanya, 572025, Hainan, China Corresponding email: wenzhong.huang@hitar.org Journal of Energy Bioscience, 2025, Vol.16, No.1 doi: 10.5376/jeb.2025.16.0005 Received: 03 Jan., 2024 Accepted: 12 Feb., 2025 Published: 21 Feb., 2025 Copyright © 2025 Hong and Huang, This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Hong W.Y., Huang W.Z., 2025, The role of the creatine phosphate system in energy storage and release: from molecular mechanisms to physiological functions, Journal of Energy Bioscience, 16(1): 42-52 (doi: 10.5376/jeb.2025.16.0005) Abstract The creatine phosphate system helps process energy in cells, especially in tissues that require a lot of energy and change quickly, such as muscles and brains. This study mainly talks about how the creatine phosphate system works, its basic principles, the pathways involved, and its role in the body. We focused on creatine kinase, which helps cells regenerate ATP, and also plays a role in "storing" energy, and is even responsible for transmitting energy to where it is needed. This process is very critical during muscle contraction and brain function, especially in those organs that use a lot of energy, it can help cells maintain a stable energy state. The article also mentioned that supplementing creatine phosphate may help some diseases, such as muscle diseases and neurodegenerative diseases. Now, because of the increasing advancement of technologies such as molecular imaging and bioinformatics, people have a deeper understanding of how creatine is metabolized and how it cooperates with other cellular processes. In the future, researchers may try to develop some new therapies related to creatine. We will continue to explore how it is regulated at the molecular level and see how it is related to other metabolic pathways. These studies are expected to bring new ideas and treatments for treating some energy-related diseases. Keywords Creatine phosphate system; Energy metabolism; Creatine kinase; ATP buffering; Therapeutic potential; Metabolic integration 1 Introduction For cells to work properly, they must constantly obtain energy. This is inseparable from the energy storage and release systems. They help cells maintain internal balance, support various metabolic processes, and cope with energy changes in different situations. Among these systems, the creatine phosphate system is particularly important. It is like an energy "buffer" that can quickly provide energy, especially for tissues such as muscles and brains that have high energy requirements and fast changes (Saks et al., 1978; Jacobus, 1985; Kazak and Cohen, 2020). The core of this system is creatine kinase (CK) and phosphocreatine (PCr). When cells need a lot of energy, creatine kinase (CK) and phosphocreatine (PCr) can quickly convert ADP and PCr into ATP to keep the ATP level stable. They are like an "energy transfer station" that quickly replenishes energy at critical moments (Saks et al., 1978; Jacobus, 1985; Greenhaff, 2001). There is also a "phosphocreatine shuttle" mechanism in the CK/PCr system, which transports energy from mitochondria to where energy is really needed, such as myofibrils in muscle cells (Saks et al., 1978; Tachikawa et al., 2004; Hettling et al., 2010). This mechanism is particularly suitable for tissues that use energy quickly, ensuring a continuous supply of ATP and avoiding energy deficiency during intense exercise (Saks et al., 1978; Greenhaff, 2001; Bonilla et al., 2021a). The focus of this research is to understand how the phosphocreatine system stores and releases energy in cells. We want to look at the roles of creatine, PCr, and CK in different tissues to gain a more complete understanding of how they help cells maintain energy balance. This article will also analyze the performance of the CK/PCr system in energy buffering, transportation, and rapid supply, and explore its role in health and disease. We hope that these studies will show that adjusting creatine metabolism may be a potential treatment for energy metabolism disorders.
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