Sarcosine
Sarcosine, an amino acid. Endogenous N-methylated glycine and an inhibitor of the type-1 glycine transporter (GlyT1). Blocking GlyT1 raises… Oral half-life 1 h.
Endogenous N-methylated glycine and an inhibitor of the type-1 glycine transporter (GlyT1). Blocking GlyT1 raises synaptic glycine at the obligatory co-agonist site of the NMDA receptor, so sarcosine acts as an indirect NMDA enhancer rather than as a direct agonist — the basis for its trial use against the NMDA-hypofunction component of schizophrenia, where it has shown improvement in processing speed alongside positive-symptom scores.
PubChem CID 1088 (C3H7NO2). PK: Amiaz 2015 (PMID:25841105), 22 stabilized schizophrenia patients on add-on open-label sarcosine — verbatim "Sarcosine exhibited linear kinetics, with a Tmax and t½ of ~1½- 2½ hr and ~1hr, respectively." The half-life is the point value and is stored; the Tmax is a RANGE (1.5-2.5 h), so no ka is back-derived from it — a range interior is not a measurement. Dose range is that study's two arms, verbatim "5 patients received 2 gm/d, and 17 received 4gm/d". No volume or bioavailability is published for oral sarcosine; both default, and the record is counted by pk.defaulted-volume. Cognitive endpoint in the same paper: "Speed of processing (MCCB subscale) improved significantly (Z=-2.13; P=0.03)". Mechanism reference PMID:16611082 (GlyT1 and its inhibitors).
Pharmacokinetics
- Oral — t½ 1 h
Sources: PMID:25841105, PMID:16611082