CHIRAL COMPOUNDS IN METABOLISM - A LOOK IN THE MOLECULAR MIRROR

We know that many familiar objects such as gloves, shoes and screws ar e non identical with their mirror images. The same applies to certain chemical compounds. These compounds show a degree of asymmetry in thei r structure which means that when looked at in a mirror, their images are not superimposable - they are chiral compounds and have two forms (enantiomers). Until recently biochemists have only been concerned wit h perhaps one form, other forms having been ignored primarily due to a nalytical difficulties. We now know of inborn errors of metabolism whe re one form of a pathological metabolite predominates, thus requiring precise enantiomeric analysis. This article provides a background to t he field of enantiomers and their analysis as demonstrated by examples of inborn errors of metabolism and hints at the possible discovery of as yet unidentified metabolic pathways. Conclusion Recent advances in the field of enantiomeric metabolite analysis, in particular the use of enantioselective gas chromatography-mass spectrometry,,have an incr easingly important role to play, not only in the diagnosis of inborn e rrors of metabolism, but also to increase our understanding of normal physiological processes.