What molecule am I?
Agmatine, aka 1-(4-aminobutyl)guanidine, is a natural substance that is formed by the decarboxylation of the amino acid l-arginine, the Molecule of the Week for September 25, 2017. Agmatine belongs to a group of molecules called biogenic amines (BAs), which includes former MOTWs histamine, tyramine, putrescine, cadaverine, spermidine, and spermine. Agmatine and other BAs are particularly abundant in high-protein foods such as meats and dairy products.
In 1910, biochemist Albrecht Kossel at the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences (Germany) and reported a synthesis of it. Kossel was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine the same year for his discoveries in cell biology. Nine years later, in an extensive study, Frederick W. Heyl at Upjohn (Kalamazoo, MI) in pollen protein extracts from ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia).
Agmatine has a variety of biochemical properties. It can modify neurotransmitter systems, ion channels, nitric oxide (NO) synthesis, and polyamine metabolism. In a 1994 article, G. Li and co-workers at Cornell University Medical College (New York City) reported that agmatine is formed in the bovine brain and by binding to 伪-2-adrenergic and imidazoline receptors. They also state that agmatine may act as a neurotransmitter.
Agmatine is is described as an important biomolecule in the 2021 book n by Robert Fried, Richard M. Carlton, and Dennis A. Fried. They cite a study in which agmatine abolished ornithine decarboxylase protein expression and polyamines biosynthesis to induce caspase-dependent apoptosis, and another that showed that it inhibited NO production mainly by depressing inducible NO synthase activity.
Agmatine听hazard information
| Hazard class* | GHS code and hazard statement | |
|---|---|---|
| Acute toxicity, oral, category 4 | H302鈥擧armful if swallowed |  |
| Skin corrosion/irritation, category 2 | H315鈥擟auses skin irritation | |
Serious eye damage/eye irritation, category 2A | H319鈥擟auses serious eye irritation | |
| Acute toxicity, inhalation, category 4 | H332鈥擧armful if inhaled | |
| Specific target organ toxicity, single exposure, respiratory tract irritation, category 3 | H335鈥擬ay cause respiratory irritation | |
*Globally Harmonized System (GHS) of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals.听
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Agmatine fast facts
| CAS Reg. No. | 306-60-5 |
nomenclature | Guanidine, N-(4-aminobutyl)- |
| Empirical formula | C5H14N4 |
| Molar mass | 130.19 g/mol |
| Appearance | White crystals or powder |
| Melting point | 102 掳C |
| Water solubility | 鈮�13 g/L |
MOTW update
Imidacloprid1 was the Molecule of the Week for August 25, 2014. It is a neonicotinoid pesticide that has come under regulatory pressure because of its neurotoxic risk to honeybees.
In 2020, the US Environmental Protection Agency unexpectedly announced that it was allowing the continued use of neonicotinoids, including imidacloprid. But the pressure to restrict them continues. Last month, the California Department of Pesticide Regulations (DPR) announced it will when they are in bloom. DPR estimates that this will reduce neonicotinoid use by 鈮�45% in California.
1. CAS Reg. No. 138261-41-3.
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