Author Topic: S-adenosyl-L-methionine as an OTC methylating agen  (Read 2218 times)

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yinga

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S-adenosyl-L-methionine as an OTC methylating agen
« on: May 30, 2004, 12:43:00 AM »
I read some cool factoids the other day in Bruice's 3rd ed. Organic Chemistry(2001), p390.  It (SAM) is one of the chemicals used by biological systems to methylate things.  Specifically, it is used to convert norepinephrine to epinephrine.  Hypothetically, it could be used to methylate a variety of nucleophiles.  Notice that the molecule bears a positive charge on a sulfur atom with a methyl group.  Interestingly, "it is currently(2001) being sold in many health food and drug stores as a treatment for depression and arthritis.  It is marketed under the trade name SAMe.  It works by methylating neurotransmitters, which inactivates them. Although SAMe has been used clinically in Europe for more than two decades, it has not been rigorously evaluated in the United States and is not approved by the FDA.  It can be sold, however, because the FDA does not prohibit the sale of most naturally occuring substances as long as the marketer does not make therapeutic claims."