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ergothioneine

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ergothioneine

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Ergothioneine (EGT) is a naturally occurring amino acid and is a thiourea derivative of histidine, containing a sulfur atom on the imidazole ring. This compound occurs in relatively few organisms, notably actinomycetota, cyanobacteria, and certain fungi. Ergothioneine was discovered by Charles Tanret in 1909 and named after the ergot fungus from which it was first purified, with its structure being determined in 1911.

Chemical data

Formula
C9H15N3O2S
Molecular weight
229.3 g/mol
IUPAC name
(2S)-3-(2-sulfanylidene-1,3-dihydroimidazol-4-yl)-2-(trimethylazaniumyl)propanoate
SMILES
C[N+](C)(C)[C@@H](CC1=CNC(=S)N1)C(=O)[O-]
InChIKey
SSISHJJTAXXQAX-ZETCQYMHSA-N
XLogP
0.3
Polar surface area
96.3 Ų
H-bond donors
2
H-bond acceptors
3
Formal charge
0

via PubChem

Wikidata facts

Mass
229.088498
Show 7 more facts
chemical formula
C₉H₁₅N₃O₂S
subject has role
antioxidant
canonical SMILES
C[N+](C)(C)C(CC1=CNC(=S)N1)C(=O)[O-]
isomeric SMILES
C[N+](C)(C)[C@@H](CC1=CNC(=S)N1)C(=O)[O-]
Commons category
Ergothioneine
time of discovery or invention
1909-00-00
Sources (3)

via Wikidata · CC0

~5 min read

Encyclopedic overview

10 sections
Contents
  • Metabolism and sources
  • Biosynthetic pathway
  • Industrial sources
  • Structure
  • Ergothioneine derivatives
  • Preliminary research
  • Safe intake levels
  • See also
  • References
  • External links

Ergothioneine (EGT) is a naturally occurring amino acid and is a thiourea derivative of histidine, containing a sulfur atom on the imidazole ring. This compound occurs in relatively few organisms, notably actinomycetota, cyanobacteria, and certain fungi. Ergothioneine was discovered by Charles Tanret in 1909 and named after the ergot fungus from which it was first purified, with its structure being determined in 1911.

In humans, ergothioneine is acquired exclusively through the diet and accumulates in erythrocytes, bone marrow, liver, kidney, seminal fluid, and eyes. Although the effect of ergothioneine in vivo is under preliminary research, its physiological role in humans is unknown. Ergothioneine is sold as a dietary supplement.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “ergothioneine” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.