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Background on SAMe (continued)
N
N N
N
NH
2
O
HO OH
S
OOC
H
2
N
+
_
H
(S)
(S)
CH
3
(S, S) S - Adenosyl-L-Methionine
Chemistry
SAMe
Bio-Active, (S,S)
Racemization
SAMe
Bio-Inactive, (R,S)
Reversible
,
Insignificant
(1)
•
S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine (SAH)
•
Adenosine (ADE)
•
Deoxy-methylthioadenosine (DMTA)
•
etc…
Irreversible, Significant
Challenge: SAMe’s Extreme Instability