With the help of reaction briefly explain the oxidative phase of the pentose phosphate pathway.
The oxidative branch of the pathway generates NADPH and pentose-5 phosphate, through the following reactions:
i) Glucose-6-phosphate is dehydrogenated to 6-phosphogluconate via 6- pliosphoglucaono-lactone by glucosed-phosphate dehydrogenase in presence of NADP' and the cofactors Mg++, Mn++ or Ca++.