Showing chemical card for tetrahydrofolate (CFc000284012)
Record Information
Version
1.0
Creation Date
2022-08-28 10:25:12 UTC
Update Date
2022-09-14 03:37:48 UTC
Chemfont ID
CFc000284012
Molecule Identification
Common Name
tetrahydrofolate
Definition
Tetrahydrofolic acid, also known as (6s)-tetrahydrofolate or (6s)-thfa, belongs to glutamic acid and derivatives class of compounds. Those are compounds containing glutamic acid or a derivative thereof resulting from reaction of glutamic acid at the amino group or the carboxy group, or from the replacement of any hydrogen of glycine by a heteroatom. Tetrahydrofolic acid is practically insoluble (in water) and a weakly acidic compound (based on its pKa). Tetrahydrofolic acid can be found in a number of food items such as malabar plum, parsnip, white lupine, and alpine sweetvetch, which makes tetrahydrofolic acid a potential biomarker for the consumption of these food products. Tetrahydrofolic acid may be a unique S.cerevisiae (yeast) metabolite. Tetrahydrofolic acid is a drug which is used for nutritional supplementation, also for treating dietary shortage or imbalance. Tetrahydrofolate is transported across cells by receptor-mediated endocytosis where it is needed to maintain normal erythropoiesis, synthesize purine and thymidylate nucleic acids, interconvert amino acids, methylate tRNA, and generate and use formate (DrugBank).
Belongs to the class of organic compounds known as enals. These are an alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehyde of general formula RC=C-CH=O in which the aldehydic C=O function is conjugated to a C=C triple bond at the alpha,beta position.
