Sarcosine
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Sarcosine is N-methyl glycine (H3C-NH-CH2-COOH). It is a natural amino acid found in muscles and other body tissues. In the laboratory it may be synthesized from chloroacetic acid and methylamine. Sarcosine is naturally found in the metabolism of choline to glycine. Commercially produced synthetic sarcosine is sweet to taste and dissolves in water. It is used in manufacturing biodegradable surfactants and toothpastes as well as in other applications.
Sarcosine is ubiquitous in biological materials and is present in such foods as egg yolks, turkey, ham, vegetables, legumes, etc.
Sarcosine is reported to be formed from dietary intake of choline and from the metabolism of methionine and 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 reported to be 1.59 + 1.08 micromoles per liter.
Sarcosine has no known toxicity, as evidenced by the lack of phenotypic manifestations of sarcosinemia, an inborn error of sarcosine metabolism. Sarcosinemia can result from severe folate deficiency because of the folate requirement for the conversion of sarcosine to glycine.
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