Sarcosine

Sarcosine, also known as N-methylglycine, or monomethylglycine, is a amino acid with the formula CH₃N(H)CH₂CO₂H. It exists at neutral pH as the zwitterion CH₃N⁺(H)₂CH₂CO₂⁻, which can be obtained as a white, water-soluble powder. Like some amino acids, sarcosine converts to a cation at low pH and an anion at high pH, with the respective formulas CH₃N⁺(H)₂CH₂CO₂H and CH₃N(H)CH₂CO₂⁻. Sarcosine is a close relative of glycine, with a secondary amine in place of the primary amine.

Sarcosine

Names
IUPAC name N-Methylglycine
Systematic IUPAC name (Methylamino)acetic acid
Identifiers
CAS Number	107-97-1 Y
3D model (JSmol)	Interactive image
3DMet	B01190
Beilstein Reference	1699442
ChEBI	CHEBI:15611 Y
ChEMBL	ChEMBL304383 Y
ChemSpider	1057 Y
ECHA InfoCard	100.003.217
EC Number	203-538-6
Gmelin Reference	2018
KEGG	C00213 Y
MeSH	Sarcosine
PubChem CID	1088
UNII	Z711V88R5F Y
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)	DTXSID1047025
InChI InChI=1S/C3H7NO2/c1-4-2-3(5)6/h4H,2H2,1H3,(H,5,6) Y Key: FSYKKLYZXJSNPZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N Y
SMILES CNCC(O)=O
Properties
Chemical formula	C3H7NO2
Molar mass	89.094 g·mol−1
Appearance	White solid
Odor	Odourless
Density	1.093 g/mL
Melting point	208 to 212 °C (406 to 414 °F; 481 to 485 K) experimental
Solubility in water	89.09 g L−1 (at 20 °C)
log P	0.599
Acidity (pKa)	2.36
Basicity (pKb)	11.64
UV-vis (λmax)	260 nm
Absorbance	0.05
Thermochemistry
Heat capacity (C)	128.9 J K−1 mol−1
Std enthalpy of formation (ΔfH⦵298)	−513.50–−512.98 kJ mol−1
Std enthalpy of combustion (ΔcH⦵298)	−1667.84–−1667.54 kJ mol−1
Related compounds
Related alkanoic acids	Dimethylglycine Glycocyamine Creatine N-Methyl-D-aspartic acid beta-Methylamino-L-alanine Guanidinopropionic acid
Related compounds	Dimethylacetamide
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa). N verify (what is YN ?) Infobox references

Sarcosine is ubiquitous in biological materials. It is used in manufacturing biodegradable surfactants and toothpastes as well as in other applications. It is also a reagent in organic synthesis.^[1]

Sarcosine is sweet to the taste.^{[citation needed]}

Biochemistry

Sarcosine is an intermediate and byproduct in glycine synthesis and degradation. Sarcosine is metabolized to glycine by the enzyme sarcosine dehydrogenase, while glycine-N-methyl transferase generates sarcosine from glycine. Sarcosine is an amino acid derivative that is naturally found in muscles and other body tissues. In the laboratory, it may be synthesized from chloroacetic acid and methylamine. Sarcosine is an intermediate in the metabolism of choline to glycine.^[2]

Sarcosine, like the related compounds dimethylglycine (DMG) and trimethylglycine (betaine, TMG), is formed via the metabolism of nutrients such as choline and methionine, which both contain methyl groups used in a wide range of biochemical reactions. Sarcosine is rapidly degraded to glycine, which, in addition to its importance as a constituent of protein, plays a significant role in various physiological processes as a prime metabolic source of components of living cells such as glutathione, creatine, purines and serine. The concentration of sarcosine in blood serum of normal human subjects is 1.4 ± 0.6 micromolar.^[3]

Industrial synthesis

Sarcosine can be produced industrially via the Strecker amino acid synthesis.

Surfactants

A variety of surfactants are produced from sarcosine, for instance sodium lauroyl sarcosinate.^[4]

Schizophrenia

Early evidence suggests sarcosine is an effective and well-tolerated adjuvant to many antipsychotics except clozapine for the treatment of schizophrenia, showing significant reductions in both positive and negative symptoms.^[5][6]

Prostate cancer

Sarcosine has also been debated as a biomarker for prostate cancer cells.^[7][8] More recent research has suggested that sarcosine plays an active role in the progression of prostate cancer, as addition of sarcosine to prostate epithelial cells caused the emergence of a new invasive phenotype.^[9]

History

Sarcosine was first isolated and named by the German chemist Justus von Liebig in 1847.

Jacob Volhard first synthesized it in 1862 while working in the lab of Hermann Kolbe. Prior to the synthesis of sarcosine, it had long been known to be a hydrolysis product of creatine, a compound found in meat extract. Under this assumption, by preparing the compound with methylamine and monochloroacetic acid, Volhard proved that sarcosine was N-methylglycine.^[10]

See also

• Glycine
• Dimethylglycine
• Trimethylglycine
• Oncometabolism

References

1. Ganesh M, Rao MP (2022). "N -Methylglycine". Encyclopedia of Reagents for Organic Synthesis. pp. 1–4. doi:10.1002/047084289X.rn02457. ISBN 9780471936237.
2. Pietzke M, Meiser J, Vazquez A (2020). "Formate Metabolism in Health and Disease". Molecular Metabolism. 33: 23–37. doi:10.1016/j.molmet.2019.05.012. PMC 7056922. PMID 31402327.
3. Allen RH, Stabler SP, Lindenbaum J (November 1993). "Serum betaine, N,N-dimethylglycine and N-methylglycine levels in patients with cobalamin and folate deficiency and related inborn errors of metabolism". Metabolism. 42 (11): 1448–60. doi:10.1016/0026-0495(93)90198-W. PMID 7694037.
4. Holmberg K (2019). "Surfactants". Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. pp. 1–56. doi:10.1002/14356007.a25_747.pub2. ISBN 9783527306732. S2CID 242339510.
5. Lane HY, Huang CL, Wu PL, Liu YC, Chang YC, Lin PY, Chen PW, Tsai G (September 2006). "Glycine transporter I inhibitor, N-methylglycine (sarcosine), added to clozapine for the treatment of schizophrenia". Biological Psychiatry. 60 (6): 645–9. doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2006.04.005. PMID 16780811. S2CID 42741531.
6. Tsai G, Lane HY, Yang P, Chong MY, Lange N (March 2004). "Glycine transporter I inhibitor, N-methylglycine (sarcosine), added to antipsychotics for the treatment of schizophrenia". Biological Psychiatry. 55 (5): 452–6. doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2003.09.012. PMID 15023571. S2CID 35723786.
7. Struys EA, Heijboer AC, van Moorselaar J, Jakobs C, Blankenstein MA (May 2010). "Serum sarcosine is not a marker for prostate cancer". Annals of Clinical Biochemistry. 47 (Pt 3): 282. doi:10.1258/acb.2010.009270. PMID 20233752.
8. Pavlou M, Diamandis EP (July 2009). "The search for new prostate cancer biomarkers continues". Clinical Chemistry. 55 (7): 1277–9. doi:10.1373/clinchem.2009.126870. PMID 19478024.
9. Khan AP, Rajendiran TM, Bushra A, Asangani IA, Athanikar JN, Yocum AK, Mehra R, Siddiqui J, Palapattu G, Wei JT, Michailidis G, Sreekumar A, Chinnaiyan AM (May 2013). "The Role of Sarcosine Metabolism in Prostate Cancer Progression". Neoplasia. 15 (5): 491–IN13. doi:10.1593/neo.13314. ISSN 1476-5586. PMC 3638352. PMID 23633921.
10. Rocke AJ (1993). "The Theory of Chemical Structure and the Structure of Chemical Theory". The Quiet Revolution: Hermann Kolbe and the Science of Organic Chemistry. Berkeley: University of California. pp. 239–64. ISBN 978-0-520-08110-9.