Abstract
ALTHOUGH the capacity of the mammalian organism to N-methylate pyridine compounds and thus deprive itself of ‘labile methyl groups1’ is well known and forms an ever-extending list2,3, the capacity for demethylation of the resultant compounds is less understood. Early nutritional investigations have indicated4 that N1-methylnicotinamide has lipotropic properties. This has led to the suggestion that methylation of nicotinamide is reversible under certain conditions, thus affording a biological conservation of methyl groups.
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McKENNIS, H., BOWMAN, E., HORVATH, A. et al. Metabolic Release of Methyl Groups from a Series of N-Methylpyridinium Compounds. Nature 202, 699–700 (1964). https://doi.org/10.1038/202699a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/202699a0
