Citrate, also known as anhydrous citric acid or 2-hydroxy-1,2,3-propanetricarboxylic acid, belongs to tricarboxylic acids and derivatives class of compounds. Those are carboxylic acids containing exactly three carboxyl groups. Citrate is soluble (in water) and a weakly acidic compound (based on its pKa). Citrate can be found in a number of food items such as ucuhuba, loquat, bayberry, and longan, which makes citrate a potential biomarker for the consumption of these food products. Citrate can be found primarily in most biofluids, including saliva, sweat, feces, and blood, as well as throughout all human tissues. Citrate exists in all living species, ranging from bacteria to humans. In humans, citrate is involved in several metabolic pathways, some of which include the oncogenic action of succinate, the oncogenic action of fumarate, the oncogenic action of 2-hydroxyglutarate, and congenital lactic acidosis. Citrate is also involved in several metabolic disorders, some of which include 2-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex deficiency, pyruvate dehydrogenase deficiency (E2), fumarase deficiency, and glutaminolysis and cancer. Moreover, citrate is found to be associated with lung Cancer, tyrosinemia I, maple syrup urine disease, and propionic acidemia. A citrate is a derivative of citric acid; that is, the salts, esters, and the polyatomic anion found in solution. An example of the former, a salt is trisodium citrate; an ester is triethyl citrate. When part of a salt, the formula of the citrate ion is written as C6H5O73− or C3H5O(COO)33− .
Belongs to the class of organic compounds known as tricarboxylic acids and derivatives. These are carboxylic acids containing exactly three carboxyl groups.
