Oxogluric acid (α-Ketoglutarate) is not approved for any indication in the world but is an investigational drug in the United States. In the United States a phase I clinical trial is investigating whether oxogluric acid precursors found in nutritional supplements can benefit patients with the metabolic disorder propionic acidemia. Oxogluric acid is sold as a dietary supplement to athletes to improve their performance by helping to remove excess ammonia, but it is not officially approved for this indication and only experimental studies have shown a reduction in ammonia by oxogluric acid in hemodialysis patients. Physiologically, oxogluric acid acts in the Krebs cycle as an intermediate, is involved in transamination reactions during the metabolism of amino acids, forms glutamic acid by combining with ammonia, and reduces nitrogen by combining with it as well. Several experimental studies have also shown that administration of oxogluric acid helped attenuate the decreased synthesis of muscle protein that is often seen post-surgery.
Synonyms
2-oxoglutaric acid
2-oxopentanedioic acid
2-Ketoglutaric acid
alpha-Ketoglutaric acid
Ketoglutaric acid
α-Ketoglutarate
Oxogluric acid
Oxoglurate
Indication
α-α-Ketoglutarate is not approved for any indication in the world but is an investigational drug in the United States. The potential indications for α-Ketoglutarate are in patients with the metabolic disorder propionic acidemia and in trauma patients with muscle loss.
Drug Info/Drug Targets: DrugBank 3.0: a comprehensive resource for 'omics' research on drugs. Knox C, Law V, Jewison
T, Liu P, Ly S, Frolkis A, Pon A, Banco K, Mak C, Neveu V, Djoumbou Y, Eisner R, Guo AC, Wishart DS.
Nucleic Acids Res. 2011 Jan; 39 (Database issue):D1035-41. | PMID:21059682
