Nucleotide salvage pathways are biochemical processes that recycle nucleotides, the building blocks of DNA and RNA, from degraded nucleic acids. Instead of synthesizing nucleotides from scratch, cells can efficiently reclaim and reuse these components, saving energy and resources. This is particularly important in rapidly dividing cells, where the demand for nucleotides is high. These pathways involve specific enzymes that convert nucleosides and nucleobases back into nucleotides. For example, the enzyme adenine phosphoribosyltransferase helps convert adenine into AMP, while hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase recycles hypoxanthine and guanine. This recycling process is crucial for maintaining cellular function and integrity.