Tetrahydrofolic acid

Tetrahydrofolic acid

Names
IUPAC name (2S)-2-{[4-({[(6R)-2-amino-4-oxo-1,4,5,6,7,8-hexahydropteridin-6-yl]methyl}amino)phenyl]formamido}pentanedioic acid
Identifiers
CAS Number	135-16-0 N
ChEBI	CHEBI:20506 Y
ChemSpider	82572 Y
DrugBank	DB00116 Y
IUPHAR/BPS	4675
Jmol 3D model	Interactive image
KEGG	C00101 Y
MeSH	5,6,7,8-tetrahydrofolic+acid
PubChem	91443
InChI InChI=1S/C19H23N7O6/c20-19-25-15-14(17(30)26-19)23-11(8-22-15)7-21-10-3-1-9(2-4-10)16(29)24-12(18(31)32)5-6-13(27)28/h1-4,11-12,21,23H,5-8H2,(H,24,29)(H,27,28)(H,31,32)(H4,20,22,25,26,30)/t11?,12-/m0/s1 Y Key: MSTNYGQPCMXVAQ-KIYNQFGBSA-N Y InChI=1/C19H23N7O6/c20-19-25-15-14(17(30)26-19)23-11(8-22-15)7-21-10-3-1-9(2-4-10)16(29)24-12(18(31)32)5-6-13(27)28/h1-4,11-12,21,23H,5-8H2,(H,24,29)(H,27,28)(H,31,32)(H4,20,22,25,26,30)/t11?,12-/m0/s1 Key: MSTNYGQPCMXVAQ-KIYNQFGBBC
SMILES O=C(O)[C@@H](NC(=O)c1ccc(cc1)NCC3N/C2=C(/N/C(=N\C2=O)N)NC3)CCC(=O)O
Properties
Chemical formula	C19H23N7O6
Molar mass	445.43 g/mol
Vapor pressure	{{{value}}}
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
N verify (what is YN ?)
Infobox references

Tetrahydrofolic acid, or tetrahydrofolate, is a folic acid derivative.

Metabolism

File:THFsynthesispathway.png

Synthesis pathway of tetrahydrofolic acid (click to enlarge).

Human synthesis

It is produced from dihydrofolic acid by dihydrofolate reductase. This reaction is inhibited by methotrexate.

It is converted into 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate by serine hydroxymethyltransferase.

Bacterial synthesis

Many bacteria use dihydropteroate synthetase to produce dihydropteroate, a molecule without function in humans. This makes it a useful target for sulfonamide antibiotics, which compete with the PABA precursor.

File:Pathway of tetrahydrofolate and antimetabolites.pdf

Functions

It is a cofactor in many reactions, especially in the metabolism of amino acids and nucleic acids. It acts as a donor of a group with one carbon atom. It gets this carbon atom by sequestering formaldehyde produced in other processes. A shortage in tetrahydrofolic acid (FH4) can cause megaloblastic anemia.

Methotrexate acts on dihydrofolate reductase, like pyrimethamine or trimethoprim, as an inhibitor and thus reduces the amount of tetrahydrofolate made. This may result in megaloblastic anemia.

Tetrahydrofolic acid is involved in the conversion of formiminoglutamic acid to glutamic acid; this may reduce the amount of histidine available for decarboxylation and protein synthesis, and hence the urinary histamine and formiminoglutamic acid may be decreased.

• 

  Dihydrofolic acid

• 

  5,10-Methylenetetrahydrofolate

External links

• Tetrahydrofolate bound to proteins in the PDB