ethionine

Ethionine is a synthetic *non-proteinogenic amino acid* and a structural analog of the essential amino acid methionine, in which the methyl group is replaced with an ethyl group. It acts as an antimetabolite and inhibits normal methylation reactions in cells, interfering with biological methylation pathways, including DNA methylation. Ethionine is toxic in animals and acts as a carcinogenic agent in some experimental models. Its mechanism includes inhibition of protein synthesis and interference with methyl group transfer, and it has been extensively used in experimental research to induce liver injury, pancreatic toxicity, and liver cancer in animal models. Ethionine is not used therapeutically in humans and has no approved clinical applications[2][4][9].

Other names

L-ethionineS-ethyl-L-homocysteineL-S-ethylhomocysteineL-2-amino-4-(ethylthio)butyric acidH-ETH-OHs-ethyl-l-homocysteins-ethyl-homocystein