Pantoic acid is the

alpha hydroxy acid Alpha hydroxy carboxylic acids, or α-hydroxy carboxylic acids (AHAs), are a group of carboxylic acids featuring a hydroxy group located ''one'' carbon atom away from the acid group. This structural aspect distinguishes them from beta hydroxy aci ...

with the formula HOCH₂C(CH₃)₂CH(OH)CO₂H. The compound is almost always encountered in a biological context, as an aqueous solution of its conjugate base pantoate HOCH₂C(CH₃)₂CH(OH)CO₂-. The

amide In organic chemistry, an amide, also known as an organic amide or a carboxamide, is a chemical compound, compound with the general formula , where R, R', and R″ represent any group, typically organyl functional group, groups or hydrogen at ...

of pantoic acid with β-alanine is

pantothenic acid Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) is a B vitamin and an essential nutrient. All animals need pantothenic acid in order to synthesize coenzyme A (CoA), which is essential for cellular energy production and for the synthesis and degradation of prote ...

(vitamin B₅), a component of

coenzyme A Coenzyme A (CoA, SHCoA, CoASH) is a coenzyme, notable for its role in the Fatty acid metabolism#Synthesis, synthesis and Fatty acid metabolism#.CE.B2-Oxidation, oxidation of fatty acids, and the oxidation of pyruvic acid, pyruvate in the citric ac ...

Biosynthesis

Its biosynthesis proceeds from ketoisovalerate by

hydroxymethylation Hydroxymethylation is a chemical reaction that installs the CH2OH group. The transformation can be implemented in many ways and applies to both industrial and biochemical processes. Hydroxymethylation with formaldehyde A common method for hydroxy ...

: :(CH₃)₂CHC(O)CO₂⁻ + CH₂O → HOCH₂(CH₃)₂CC(O)CO₂⁻ This conversion is catalyzed by ketopantoate hydroxymethyltransferase, which gives

ketopantoate Ketopantoic acid is the organic compound with the formula HOCH2(CH3)2CC(O)CO2H. At physiological conditions, ketopantoic acid exists as its conjugate base, ketopantoate (HOCH2(CH3)2CC(O)CO2−). Biosynthetic context Its biosynthesis proceeds from ...

. Ketopantoate is reduced by ketopantoate reductase to pantoate, using NADH as the hydride source. The amide derived from pantoic acid and

GABA GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid, γ-aminobutyric acid) is the chief inhibitory neurotransmitter in the developmentally mature mammalian central nervous system. Its principal role is reducing neuronal excitability throughout the nervous system. GA ...

is the pharmaceutical drug

hopantenic acid Hopantenic acid (homopantothenic acid), also known as N-pantoyl-GABA, is a central nervous system depressant. Formulated as the calcium salt (chemistry), salt, it is used as a pharmaceutical drug in the Russian Federation for a variety of neurolo ...

References

External links

* Alpha hydroxy acids Diols {{OrganicAcid-stub