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DECARBOXYLATION
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
The process of removing a carboxyl group from a chemical compound (usually replacing it with hydrogen)
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural processes
Hypernyms ("decarboxylation" is a kind of...):
chemical action; chemical change; chemical process ((chemistry) any process determined by the atomic and molecular composition and structure of the substances involved)
Derivation:
decarboxylate (remove a carboxyl group from (a chemical compound))
decarboxylate (lose a carboxyl group)
Context examples:
To assure that adequate concentrations of levodopa reach the central nervous system, it is administered with carbidopa, a decarboxylase inhibitor that does not cross the blood-brain barrier, thereby diminishing the decarboxylation and inactivation of levodopa in peripheral tissues and increasing the delivery of dopamine to the CNS.
(Levodopa, NCI Thesaurus)
Histamine Production consists of synthesis of a decarboxylation product of histidine (histamine), found particularly in mast cells and basophils, and involved in capillary dilation and permeability; blood pressure decrease; smooth muscle contraction; gastric secretion; heart rate acceleration; immediate hypersensitivity; and central neurotransmission.
(Histamine Production, NCI Thesaurus)
GABA, gamma-aminobutyric acid, is a key inhibitory neurotransmitter and is synthesized through the decarboxylation of glutamate in a single step.
(Neurotransmitter Biosynthesis Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter with a large range of effects, including roles in mood and depression, and is synthesized by first newing a hydroxyl group to tryptophan, followed by decarboxylation.
(Neurotransmitter Biosynthesis Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)
Dopamine is involved in movement and mood and is derived from tyrosine through newition of a hydroxyl group and decarboxylation. newitional reactions create norepinephrine and epinephrine from dopamine.
(Neurotransmitter Biosynthesis Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)
For each of these, decarboxylation of an amino acid is a key step.
(Neurotransmitter Biosynthesis Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)
