In this video, we're going to introduce yet another electron carrier, and that is the electron carrier, NADP. So NADPH only differs from NADH by this "P" that is present, and the "P" represents a phosphate group. Once again, NADPH is an electron carrier that is actually very similar to the electron carriers that we already talked about in our last lesson video, which recall are NADH and FADH2. NADPH, like NADH and FADH2, can carry 2 electrons and transport those electrons within the cell to different locations. They can be used for reduction reactions, or reactions that reduce other molecules and allow them to gain electrons.
However, unlike NADH and FADH2, NADPH is specifically used in biosynthetic reactions for biosynthesis purposes, or in other words, it's used in reactions that are going to build molecules and cell structures. You can think of this electron carrier, NADPH, as a little construction truck. Here we have this construction truck that is going to be used for building, for biosynthetic reactions. Notice that the empty version of this construction truck corresponds with NADP+. This is the oxidized form of the electron carrier, and so it has no electrons. Notice that the electron spots are empty, but it can gain 2 electrons and become a full construction truck that's carrying 2 electrons, and this full construction truck corresponds with the electron carrier, NADPH.
Once again, NADPH can gain 2 electrons and a hydrogen ion to become NADPH, and it's going to carry electrons from one location within the cell to a different location within the cell, very similar to the other electron carriers that we already talked about. However, one of the main important differences is that NADPH is going to be used in biosynthetic reactions in order to build cell structures and build molecules. Here you can see a house that is under construction, and NADPH is going to be used to help build this house here or to build some kind of cell structure or molecule within the cell.
This here concludes our brief lesson on the electron carrier NADPH, and we'll be able to see this electron carrier as we move forward throughout our course. But for now, this here concludes this video, and I'll see you all in our next one.