dimethyl 2-ketoglutarate

Dimethyl 2-ketoglutarate is a small-molecule dimethyl ester prodrug of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediate α-ketoglutarate, used primarily as a research tool to manipulate intracellular α-ketoglutarate levels and study cellular metabolism, autophagy, and epigenetic and dioxygenase-dependent processes. By virtue of its esterification, it is cell-permeable and undergoes intracellular hydrolysis to release α-ketoglutarate and related methylated metabolites, thereby modulating Krebs cycle flux, ATP production, and redox and carbon metabolism in both cytosolic and mitochondrial compartments. In preclinical models, dimethyl 2-ketoglutarate has been shown to inhibit autophagy, alter acetyl-CoA and glycolytic flux, affect collagen synthesis and fibrosis-related pathways, and broadly remodel metabolite profiles, but it is not developed as a therapeutic drug and is used as a biochemical and pharmacologic probe in vitro and in vivo.

Other names

dimethyl 2-oxoglutaratedimethyl2-oxoglutaratedimethyl-2-oxoglutaratedimethyl α-ketoglutarate2-ketoglutaric acid dimethyl ester2-oxoglutaric acid dimethyl ester2-KG dimethyl ester