| Definition | Inosinic acid, also known as inosine monophosphate or 5'-imp, is a member of the class of compounds known as purine ribonucleoside monophosphates. Purine ribonucleoside monophosphates are nucleotides consisting of a purine base linked to a ribose to which one monophosphate group is attached. Inosinic acid is slightly soluble (in water) and a moderately acidic compound (based on its pKa). Inosinic acid can be found in a number of food items such as pear, shiitake, lupine, and poppy, which makes inosinic acid a potential biomarker for the consumption of these food products. Inosinic acid can be found primarily in blood, cellular cytoplasm, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and feces, as well as throughout all human tissues. Inosinic acid exists in all living species, ranging from bacteria to humans. In humans, inosinic acid is involved in several metabolic pathways, some of which include mercaptopurine action pathway, azathioprine action pathway, aspartate metabolism, and purine metabolism. Inosinic acid is also involved in several metabolic disorders, some of which include hypoacetylaspartia, gout or kelley-seegmiller syndrome, adenine phosphoribosyltransferase deficiency (APRT), and molybdenum cofactor deficiency. Moreover, inosinic acid is found to be associated with febrile seizures. Inosinic acid or inosine monophosphate (IMP) is a nucleoside monophosphate. Widely used as a flavor enhancer, it is typically obtained from chicken byproducts or other meat industry waste. Inosinic acid is important in metabolism. It is the ribonucleotide of hypoxanthine and the first nucleotide formed during the synthesis of purine. It is formed by the deamination of adenosine monophosphate, and is hydrolysed to inosine. IMP is an intermediate ribonucleoside monophosphate in purine metabolism. The enzyme deoxyribonucleoside triphosphate pyrophosphohydrolase, encoded by YJR069C in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and containing (d)ITPase and (d)XTPase activities, hydrolyzes inosine triphosphate (ITP) releasing pyrophosphate and IMP . |
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