Explain citric acid cycle

In  the citric acid cycle, the oxaloacetate is first condensed with acetyl CoA, and  then regenerated  as  the cycle  is  comp!eted.  But these  reactions  are  not part  of a  closed circle system and  are more similar to  a traffic circle with compounds  entering and leaving  as required. Only a small quantity of  oxaloacetate is needed for  the oxidation of a  large  quantity  of acetyl  CoA,  as  it  is  regenerated. Hence,  oxaloacetate may  be considered to play a catalytic role.