Oxaloacetate (OAA)

Oxaloacetate (OAA), also known as oxaloacetic acid, is a four-carbon dicarboxylic keto-acid that serves as an essential metabolic intermediate within living organisms. Its chemical formula is C₄H₄O₅ (or C₄H₂O₅²⁻ when deprotonated). OAA plays pivotal roles across several fundamental biochemical pathways: * Citric Acid Cycle: OAA condenses with acetyl-CoA to form citrate—the first step of the TCA/Krebs/citric acid cycle—which drives cellular ATP production through oxidative phosphorylation. * Gluconeogenesis: In this pathway, OAA acts as an intermediary between pyruvate and phosphoenolpyruvate during glucose synthesis. * Amino Acid Synthesis: Through transamination reactions, it forms amino acids such as aspartic acid. * Fatty Acid Synthesis & Urea Cycle: Participates indirectly by providing intermediates required for these processes. * Regulation of Energy Metabolism: The availability of OAA can regulate flux through the citric acid cycle and thus influence overall cellular energy status.[1][2][4] While crucial to life’s biochemistry, oxaloacetate does not function like traditional drug targets such as receptors or enzymes but instead acts primarily by serving structural and regulatory roles within core metabolic networks. No approved therapeutics act directly on this molecule; rather, interventions may affect upstream or downstream enzymes influencing its concentration.[1]

Other names

Oxaloacetic acidOxalacetic acid2-oxobutanedioic acidα-ketosuccinic acidKetosuccinate2-Ketosuccinic acidOxosuccinate

Not applicable—no drugs act directly on oxaloacetate. Some agents may alter its levels indirectly by modulating enzymes of the TCA cycle or gluconeogenesis.