Tetramethylpyrazine Explained

Tetramethylpyrazine, also known as ligustrazine, is a chemical compound found in nattō and in fermented cocoa beans.^[1] In an observational study, tetramethylpyrazine was the dominant volatile organic compound in one sourdough starter.^[2] When purified, tetramethylpyrazine is a colorless solid. It is classified as an alkylpyrazine. Its biosynthesis involves amination of acetoin, the latter derived from pyruvate.^[3] It exhibits potential nootropic and antiinflammatory activities in rats.^{[4] [5]}

Notes and References

1. Effect of mass and turning time on free amino acid, peptide-N, sugar and pyrazine concentration during cocoa fermentation. P Hashim, J Selamat, S Muhammad, S Kharidah and A Ali, Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 1998, Volume 78, pages 543–550.
2. Landis . Elizabeth A. . Oliverio . Angela M . January 26, 2021 . The diversity and function of sourdough starter microbiomes . eLife . 10 . e61644 . 33496265 . 10.7554/eLife.61644. 7837699 . free .
3. Takuo Kosuge, Tahei Adachi & Hiroko Kamiya "Isolation Of Tetramethylpyrazine From Culture Of Bacillus Natto, And Biosynthetic Pathways Of Tetramethylpyrazine" Nature 1962, volume 195, 1103 .
4. 23916742. 2013. Wu. W. Yu. X. Luo. XP. Yang. SH. Zheng. D. Tetramethylpyrazine protects against scopolamine-induced memory impairments in rats by reversing the cAMP/PKA/CREB pathway. 253. 212–6. 10.1016/j.bbr.2013.07.052. Behavioural Brain Research. 9100537 .
5. 23644042. 2013. Kao. TK. Chang. CY. Ou. YC. Chen. WY. Kuan. YH. Pan. HC. Liao. SL. Li. GZ. Chen. CJ. Tetramethylpyrazine reduces cellular inflammatory response following permanent focal cerebral ischemia in rats. 247. 188–201. 10.1016/j.expneurol.2013.04.010. Experimental Neurology. 20967364 .