MOLECULE

D-Ribulose 5-phosphate

D-Ribulose 5-phosphate belongs to the class of organic compounds known as pentose phosphates. These are carbohydrate derivatives containing a pentose substituted by one or more phosphate groups. D-Ribulose 5-phosphate is a metabolite in the following pathways: pentose phosphate pathway, pentose and glucuronate interconversions, and riboflavin metabolism (KEGG). D-Ribulose 5-phosphate is an extremely weak basic (essentially neutral) compound (based on its pKa). Within humans, D-ribulose 5-phosphate participates in a number of enzymatic reactions. In particular, D-ribulose 5-phosphate can be converted into D-ribose 5-phosphate through its interaction with the enzyme ribose-5-phosphate isomerase. In addition, D-ribulose 5-phosphate can be converted into xylulose 5-phosphate; which is mediated by the enzyme ribulose-phosphate 3-epimerase. In humans, D-ribulose 5-phosphate is involved in pentose phosphate pathway. Outside of the human body, D-Ribulose 5-phosphate has been detected, but not quantified in, several different foods, such as winter squash, japanese chestnuts, barley, strawberries, and abiyuchs. This could make D-ribulose 5-phosphate a potential biomarker for the consumption of these foods. D-Ribulose 5-phosphate, with regard to humans, has been found to be associated with several diseases such as lewy body disease, frontotemporal dementia, and alzheimer's disease; D-ribulose 5-phosphate has also been linked to the inborn metabolic disorder transaldolase deficiency. D-Ribulose 5-phosphate is expected to be in Cannabis as all living plants are known to produce and metabolize it.