Α-Ketoglutaric acid

Common card · No. 437507

α-Ketoglutaric acid (AKG) is an organic compound with the formula HO2CCO(CH2)2CO2H. A white, nontoxic solid, it is a common dicarboxylic acid. Relevant to its biological roles, it exists in water as its conjugate base α-ketoglutarate. It is also classified as a 2-ketocarboxylic acid. β-Ketoglutaric acid is an isomer. "Ketoglutaric acid" and "ketoglutarate", when not qualified as α or β, almost always refers respectively to α-ketoglutaric acid or α-ketoglutarate. α-Ketoglutarate is an intermediate in the citric acid cycle, a set of cyclic reactions that supplies energy to cells. It is also an intermediate in or product of several other metabolic pathways. These include its being a component of metabolic pathways that: make amino acids and in the process regulate the cellular levels of carbon, nitrogen, and ammonia; reduce the cellular levels of potentially toxic reactive oxygen species; and synthesize the neurotransmitter γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA). A large body of preclinical (i.e., conducted...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Edgar181, Public domain