Ophthalmic acid

Ophthalmic acid
Ophthalmic acid is a tripeptide, also known as ophthalmate (chemically L-Ύ-glutamyl-L-α-aminobutyrylglycine) is an analogue of glutathione in which the cysteine moiety is replaced by L-2-aminobutyrate. It was first discovered and isolated from calf lens. The IUPAC name of ophthalmic acid is (2S)-2-amino-4-[[(2S)-2-aminobutanoyl]-(carboxymethyl)carbamoyl]butanoic acid.

Biosynthesis
Recent studies have shown that the ophthalmate can be biologically synthesized from 2-amino butyric acid through consecutive reactions with gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase and glutathione synthetase. So the ophthalmic acid could be used as a biomarker in oxidative stress where the depletion of glutathione takes place.