Sarcosine
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Sarcosine

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Sarcosine is an endogenous GlyT1 inhibitor. Sarcosine displays antipsychotic activity and has the potential to treat schizophrenia. Sarcosine has been shown to potentiate the action of glycine on the NMDA glycine binding site.

Category
DL-Amino Acids
Catalog number
BAT-008139
CAS number
107-97-1
Molecular Formula
C3H7NO2
Molecular Weight
89.09
Sarcosine
IUPAC Name
2-(methylamino)acetic acid
Synonyms
N-Methylglycine; Sarcosinic acid; Methylglycine; Glycine, N-methyl-
Appearance
White to Off-White Solid
Purity
≥ 99% (Titration)
Density
1.093 g/cm3
Melting Point
202-214 °C
Boiling Point
195.1°C at 760 mmHg
Storage
Store at-20 °C
Solubility
Soluble in Methanol, Water
InChI
InChI=1S/C3H7NO2/c1-4-2-3(5)6/h4H,2H2,1H3,(H,5,6)
InChI Key
FSYKKLYZXJSNPZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Canonical SMILES
CNCC(=O)O

Sarcosine, also known as N-methylglycine, is a naturally occurring amino acid derivative that has shown promise in various areas including drug discovery and development. In recent years, there has been growing interest in exploring the pharmacological properties of sarcosine and its derivatives due to their diverse biological activities.

Sarcosine is a basic derivative of amino acids that is essential to several bodily physiological functions. It plays a crucial role in the metabolism of glycine and methionine and is necessary for the creation of creatine, a crucial source of energy for muscle cells. Sarcosine can be produced internally by the enzymatic conversion of glycine, or it can be received through diet. Studies conducted recently have revealed the possibility of sarcosine's therapeutic benefits in a number of medical situations, which has sparked interest in learning more about its pharmacological characteristics.

Sarcosine's pharmacological characteristics are derived from its capacity to alter different molecular targets and signaling pathways within the body. Sarcosine inhibits glycine transporters, which is one of its main modes of action. Sarcosine can increase the amount of glycine available in the synaptic cleft by blocking its reuptake, which in turn increases the activation of glycine receptors. Glycine receptor modulation can impact neurotransmission in a variety of ways, such as controlling synaptic plasticity and neuronal excitability.

Sarcosine has also been demonstrated to function as a co-agonist at the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) glutamate receptor, which is a crucial receptor for synaptic development and transmission. Sarcosine can affect neuronal function and modify glutamatergic neurotransmission by attaching to the glycine binding site on the NMDA receptor. The fact that sarcosine acts on both glycine and NMDA receptors demonstrates its capacity to regulate synaptic activity and neurotransmission.

Sarcosine also plays a role in controlling the activity of several neurotransmitter systems, such as serotonin and dopamine. Sarcosine may have an impact on these neurotransmitters' release and absorption, which could have an impact on behavior, mood, and cognitive function, according to studies. Sarcosine may provide therapeutic effects in conditions including schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety that are marked by dysregulated neurotransmission via modifying neurotransmitter levels and signaling.

The multiple mechanisms of action of sarcosine underlie its potential therapeutic applications in a variety of disease conditions. One of the most intensively studied areas of sarcosine is its role in the treatment of schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a complex psychiatric disorder characterized by disturbances in perception, thought processes, and mood regulation. Dysregulation of glutamatergic neurotransmission, particularly involving NMDA receptors, has been implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia.

Multiple clinical studies have investigated the use of sarcosine as an adjunctive treatment for schizophrenia, either alone or in combination with antipsychotic medications. Sarcosine has been shown to improve cognitive function, negative symptoms, and overall symptom severity in patients with schizophrenia. Sarcosine's ability to enhance glutamatergic neurotransmission and modulate NMDA receptor function may underlie its therapeutic effects in schizophrenia.

In addition to schizophrenia, sarcosine has shown promise in the treatment of other neuropsychiatric disorders, such as depression and bipolar disorder. Studies have shown that sarcosine may have antidepressant effects by modulating neurotransmitter systems involved in mood regulation. By enhancing glutamate signaling and neurotransmitter release, sarcosine may offer a new approach to treating mood disorders and improving depressive symptoms.

In addition, studies on sarcosine have explored its potential in neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. The neuroprotective properties of sarcosine, including its ability to modulate neuronal excitability and protect against oxidative stress, make it a promising candidate for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Studies have shown that sarcosine can enhance synaptic plasticity, reduce neuroinflammation, and improve cognitive function in animal models of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.

1.Characterization of the neuropsychological phenotype of glycine N-methyltransferase-/- mice and evaluation of its responses to clozapine and sarcosine treatments.
Yang CP;Wang HA;Tsai TH;Fan A;Hsu CL;Chen CJ;Hong CJ;Chen YM Eur Neuropsychopharmacol. 2012 Aug;22(8):596-606. doi: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2011.12.007. Epub 2012 Jan 20.
Glycine N-methyltransferase (GNMT) affects cellular methylation capacity through regulating the ratio between S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) and S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH). The product of its enzymatic reaction-sarcosine has antipsychotic effect in patients with schizophrenia. In this study, through RT-PCR and immunohistochemical staining, we demonstrated that GNMT expressed in various neurons located in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, substantia nigra and cerebellum. Compared to the wild-type mice, Gnmt-/- mice had significantly lower level of sarcosine in the cerebral cortex. Real-time PCR identified genes involved in the methionine metabolism (Dnmt1 and Dnmt3a), ErbB (Nrg1 and ErbB4) and mTOR (Akt2, S6, S6k1 and S6k2) signaling pathways were dysregulated significantly in the cortex of Gnmt-/- mice. Acoustic startle reflex test demonstrated that Gnmt-/- mice had significantly lower level of prepulse inhibition and the deficit was ameliorated through clozapine or sarcosine treatment. Furthermore, liver-specific-human-GNMT transgenic with Gnmt-/- (Tg-GNMT/Gnmt-/-) mice were used to rule out that the phenotype was due to abnormal liver function. In summary, the neuropsychological abnormalities found in Gnmt-/- mice may represent an endophenotype of schizophrenia.
2.Effects of betaine on performance and body composition: a review of recent findings and potential mechanisms.
Cholewa JM;Guimarães-Ferreira L;Zanchi NE Amino Acids. 2014 Aug;46(8):1785-93. doi: 10.1007/s00726-014-1748-5. Epub 2014 Apr 24.
Betaine is a methyl derivative of glycine first isolated from sugar beets. Betaine consumed from food sources and through dietary supplements presents similar bioavailability and is metabolized to di-methylglycine and sarcosine in the liver. The ergogenic and clinical effects of betaine have been investigated with doses ranging from 500 to 9,000 mg/day. Some studies using animal models and human subjects suggest that betaine supplementation could promote adiposity reductions and/or lean mass gains. Moreover, previous investigations report positive effects of betaine on sports performance in both endurance- and resistance-type exercise, despite some conflicting results. The mechanisms underlying these effects are poorly understood, but could involve the stimulation of lipolysis and inhibition of lipogenesis via gene expression and subsequent activity of lipolytic-/lipogenic-related proteins, stimulation of autocrine/endocrine IGF-1 release and insulin receptor signaling pathways, stimulation of growth hormone secretion, increased creatine synthesis, increases in protein synthesis via intracellular hyper-hydration, as well as exerting psychological effects such as attenuating sensations of fatigue.
3.Degradation of Glyphosate by Mn-Oxide May Bypass Sarcosine and Form Glycine Directly after C-N Bond Cleavage.
Li H;Wallace AF;Sun M;Reardon P;Jaisi DP Environ Sci Technol. 2018 Feb 6;52(3):1109-1117. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.7b03692. Epub 2018 Jan 25.
Glyphosate is the active ingredient of the common herbicide Roundup. The increasing presence of glyphosate and its byproducts has raised concerns about its potential impact on the environment and human health. In this research, we investigated abiotic pathways of glyphosate degradation as catalyzed by birnessite under aerobic and neutral pH conditions to determine whether certain pathways have the potential to generate less harmful intermediate products. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were utilized to identify and quantify reaction products, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations were used to investigate the bond critical point (BCP) properties of the C-N bond in glyphosate and Mn(IV)-complexed glyphosate. We found that sarcosine, the commonly recognized precursor to glycine, was not present at detectable levels in any of our experiments despite the fact that its half-life (∼13.6 h) was greater than our sampling intervals. Abiotic degradation of glyphosate largely followed the glycine pathway rather than the AMPA (aminomethylphosphonic acid) pathway. Preferential cleavage of the phosphonate adjacent C-N bond to form glycine directly was also supported by our BCP analysis, which revealed that this C-N bond was disproportionately affected by the interaction of glyphosate with Mn(IV).
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