| folic acid | <biochemistry> Pteridine derivative that is abundant in liver and green plants and is a growth factor for some bacteria. The biochemically active form is tetrahydrofolate (see folate). (12 Nov 1997) |
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| folic acid antagonist | <pharmacology> A chemical which inhibits a cells capacity to use folic acid and so prevent cell division, for example methotrexate. See: chemotherapy. (12 Nov 1997) |
| folic acid antagonists | Inhibitors of the enzyme, dihydrofolate reductase (tetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase), which converts dihydrofolate (fh2) to tetrahydrofolate (fh4). They are frequently used in cancer chemotherapy. (12 Dec 1998) |
| folic acid conjugate | A folate with three molecules of glutamic acid (pteropterin) instead of one, or with seven (pteroylheptaglutamic acid or vitamin Bc conjugate). (05 Mar 2000) |
| folic acid deaminase | <enzyme> Chemotaxis regulating enzyme; splits folic acid into 6-hydroxymethylpterin and p-aminobenzoylglutamic acid Registry number: EC 3.5.4.- Synonym: folic acid inactivating enzyme, folic acid c9-n10 cleaving enzyme (26 Jun 1999) |
| folic acid deficiency | A nutritional condition produced by a deficiency of folic acid in the diet. Many plant and animal tissues contain folic acid, abundant in green leafy vegetables, yeast, liver, and mushrooms but destroyed by long-term cooking. Alcohol interferes with its intermediate metabolism and absorption. Folic acid deficiency may develop in long-term anticonvulsant therapy or with use of oral contraceptives. This deficiency causes anaemia, macrocytic anaemia, and megaloblastic anaemia. It is indistinguishable from vitamin b 12 deficiency in peripheral blood and bone marrow findings, but the neurologic lesions seen in b 12 deficiency do not occur. (merck manual, 16th ed) (12 Dec 1998) |
| folic acid deficiency anaemia | Anaemia due to deficiency of folic acid, characterised by large-sized red blood cells (macrocytosis) and presence of large nuclei in erythroid precursor cells (megaloblasts) in the bone marrow. (05 Mar 2000) |
| folic acid oxidase | <enzyme> Enzyme from human red blood cell membranes; catalyses oxidation of folic acid to pterin-6-aldehyde plus p-aminobenzoylglutamic acid in presence of h2o2; singlet oxygen is involved Registry number: EC 1.11.- (26 Jun 1999) |