Cysteamine

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Cysteamine
IUPAC name	2-aminoethanethiol
Other names	β-mercaptoethylamine 2-aminoethanethiol 2-mercaptoethylamine decarboxycysteine thioethanolamine
Identifiers
CAS number	[60-23-1]
PubChem	6058
SMILES	C(CS)N
Properties
Molecular formula	C2H7NS
Molar mass	77.14868
Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C, 100 kPa) Infobox disclaimer and references

Cysteamine is the chemical compound with the formula HSCH₂CH₂NH₂. It is the simplest stable aminothiol and a degradation product of the amino acid cysteine. It is often used as the hydrochloride salt, HSCH₂CH₂NH₃Cl (CAS#[156-57-0])

[edit] Biochemical and pharmaceutical applications

Under the trade name Cystagon, cysteamine is used in the treatment of disorders of cystine excretion. Cysteamine cleaves the disulfide bond with cysteine to produce molecules that can escape the metabolic defect in cystinosis and cystinuria.

It is also used for treatment of radiation sickness. ^[1]

Cysteamine is used in the body to form the essential biochemical Coenzyme A by combining with pantothenate and adenosine triphosphate.

[edit] References

1. ^ Lukashin BP, Grebeniuk AN (2001). "[Comparative study of the radiation-protective effectiveness of low doses of cysteamine, heparin, and naphtizine in experiments on mice]" (in Russian). Radiatsionnaia biologiia, radioecologiia / Rossiĭskaia akademiia nauk 41 (3): 310–2. PMID 11458646.