adenine

Adenine is a purine nucleobase with the chemical formula C5H5N5. It is one of the four main nitrogenous bases found in DNA and RNA, where it pairs with thymine in DNA and uracil in RNA through hydrogen bonding. Adenine plays a central role in cellular metabolism as a component of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which provides energy for many cellular processes, and as part of other key biomolecules such as nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD), coenzyme A, adenosine monophosphate (AMP), adenosine diphosphate (ADP), cyclic AMP, and S-adenosylmethionine. In medicine and nutrition, adenine has been used for nutritional supplementation to treat dietary shortages or imbalances[1][2][4]. Its mechanism involves forming nucleotides that are essential for energy transfer and genetic information storage within cells[1][2].

Other names

vitamin B46-aminopurine