Folic acid/folate pteroylglutamic

Marienglas (Gips) foliation Folierung folic acid (folate)/ pteroylglutamic acid... 

Folic Acid (Folacin Pteroylglutamic Acid Folate)... 

Folate Is a generic term referring to a family of related compounds. All of these compounds represent modifications of the simplest form of the vitamin, folic acid (pteroylglutamic add, PlcGlu). Folic add does not occur in nature in appreciable amounts, though it is readily assimilated by the body and converted to the active cofactor forms of the vitamin. Folic acid is the form of the vitamin used in folate supplements. Folates are modified by reduction and by a poly glutamyl chain or tail. The reduced folates include dlhydrofolate and tetrahydrofolate. 

Folic acid (160) is a pteroic acid derivative, pteroylglutamic acid, incorporating p-aminobenzoic acid. Folates is the generic term for any member, or mixture, of pteroylglutamic acids. Synthetic folic acid is manufactured from p -am i no ben zoy I-1, -g I u tamic acid. 

The mechanism of absorption of unconjugated folic acid is also incompletely understood. There is some evidence for a specific transport mechanism for pteroylglutamate, but, as discussed by Rosenberg and Godwin (R18), such a mechanism is not accepted by all investigators and a requirement for cellular metabolic energy has not been demonstrated. Furthermore, much folate in the diet is in the form of dihydro- and tetrahydrofolate, which may not be absorbed by the same mechanisms... 

Nomenclature. Folic acid, pteroylglutamic acid (PteGlu) folates also used as a group name for a family of more than 100 related compounds that have been modified on the pterin moiety, on N-5 and/or N-10, and on glutamyl side-chain. 

Folic acid is the preferred synonym for pteroylglutamic acid and folate is the preferred synonym for pteroylglutamate. 

Folic acid (pteroylglutamic acid) and related compounds are present at high concentration in liver, but spinach, broccoli, peanuts, and fresh fruit are also good dietary sources. The RDA is 300 pg. Folates are important for the synthesis of tetrahydrofolate which is important with cobalamin for a series of 1-carbon transfer reactions leading to DNA synthesis, failure of which leads to megaloblastic anemia. 

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