Studies on the chemical identity and biological functions of pangamic acid.

Pangamic acid (6-O-(dimethylaminoacetyl)-D-gluconic acid) has been detected 1938 and described as a natural, universally occurring substance with multiple biological and medical functions. In this respect pangamic acid has been worldwide on the market since decades as a drug stimulating cellular respiration. In addition to the natural pangamic acid, diisopropylammonium dichloroacetate (DIPA), a synthetic product not found in biological material, is on the market requesting similar biological functions. In commercially available drugs on the German market declared as pangamic acid three separate substances can be found by chemical identification of pangamic acid, namely: gluconic acid, glycine and diisopropylamonium dichloroacetate. As biological functions have been found in vitro inhibition of Cu-dependent LDL oxidation by glycine due to chelation of Cu2+ ions and deterioration of mitochondrial respiratory control due to an increased state IV oxygen consumption rate at high concentrations of DIPA.