Metabolite Card

Formula: C4H9N3O2 (131.0695)
SMILES: CN(CC(O)=O)C(N)=N

Synonyms [en]

creatine; methylglycocyamine; N-methyl-N-guanylglycine; Creatin; Kreatin; N-carbamimidoyl-N-methylglycine

Reviewed

Last reviewed on 2024-06-28.

Cite this Page

Creatine. 数据之源,洞见之始. SMRUCC genomics institute, a synthetic life researcher from China. https://biocad_registry.innovation.ac.cn/s/(-)-arctiin (retrieved 2026-01-03) (CAD Registry RN: BioCAD00000008939). Licensed under the Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0).

Note

Creatine, is a naturally occurring non-protein compound. It belongs to the class of organic compounds known as alpha amino acids and derivatives. These are amino acids in which the amino group is attached to the carbon atom immediately adjacent to the carboxylate group (alpha carbon), or a derivative thereof. Creatine is found in all vertebrates where it facilitates recycling of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Its primary metabolic role is to combine with a phosphoryl group, via the enzyme creatine kinase, to generate phosphocreatine, which is used to regenerate ATP. Most of the human body's total creatine and phosphocreatine stores are found in skeletal muscle (95%), while the remainder is distributed in the blood, brain, testes, and other tissues. Creatine is not an essential nutrient as it is naturally produced in the human body from the amino acids glycine and arginine, with an additional requirement for methionine to catalyze the transformation of guanidinoacetate to creatine. In the first step of its biosynthesis glycine and arginine are combined by the enzyme arginine:glycine amidinotransferase (AGAT) to form guanidinoacetate, which is then methylated by guanidinoacetate N-methyltransferase (GAMT), using S-adenosyl methionine as the methyl donor. Creatine can also be obtained through the diet at a rate of about 1 gram per day from an omnivorous diet. A cyclic form of creatine, called creatinine, exists in equilibrium with its tautomer and with creatine. Clinically, there are three distinct disorders of creatine metabolism. Deficiencies in the two synthesis enzymes (AGAT and GAMT) can cause L-arginine:glycine amidinotransferase deficiency (caused by variants in AGAT) and guanidinoacetate methyltransferase deficiency (caused by variants in GAMT). Both disorders are inherited in an autosomal recessive manner. A third defect, creatine transporter defect, is caused by mutations in SLC6A8 and inherited in a X-linked manner. Creatine is widely used as a supplement by athletes. Its use can increase maximum power and performance in high-intensity anaerobic repetitive work (periods of work and rest) by 5 to 15% (PMID: 24688272). Creatine has no significant effect on aerobic endurance, although it will increase power during short sessions of high-intensity aerobic exercise (PMID: 9662683).

Entity Information

DBLinks

Other DBLinks
  • CAS Registry Number: 57-00-1
  • CAS Registry Number: 6020-87-7
  • PubChem: 3594
  • PubChem: 586
  • ChEBI: ChEBI:16919
  • HMDB: HMDB0000064
  • HMDB: HMDB00064
  • KEGG: C00300
  • BioCyc: CREATINE
  • NCBI MeSH: Creatine
  • Wikipedia: Creatine
  • DrugBank: DB00148
  • RefMet: RM0135876
  • MoNA: BAF_UVA_POS000384
  • MoNA: BAF_UVA_POS001301
  • MoNA: BAF_UVA_POS001302
  • MoNA: BAF_UVA_POS001303
  • MoNA: CCMSLIB00000577904
  • MoNA: CCMSLIB00000578136
  • MoNA: CCMSLIB00005463966
  • MoNA: CCMSLIB00005463967
  • MoNA: CCMSLIB00005464027
  • MoNA: CCMSLIB00005720348
  • MoNA: CCMSLIB00005720638
  • MoNA: EMBL-MCF_spec26240
  • MoNA: EMBL-MCF_spec98208
  • MoNA: FiehnHILIC000282
  • MoNA: FiehnLib000123
  • MoNA: FiehnLib000124
  • MoNA: HMDB0000064_c_ms_99530
  • MoNA: HMDB0000064_c_ms_99531
  • MoNA: HMDB0000064_ms_ms_105
  • MoNA: HMDB0000064_ms_ms_106
  • MoNA: HMDB0000064_ms_ms_107
  • MoNA: KNA00149
  • MoNA: KNA00151
  • MoNA: KNA00152
  • MoNA: KNA00392
  • MoNA: KNA00393
  • MoNA: KNA00394
  • MoNA: KNA00395
  • MoNA: KNA00559
  • MoNA: KNA00560
  • MoNA: KNA00561
  • MoNA: KNA00772
  • MoNA: KNA00773
  • MoNA: KNA00774
  • MoNA: KNA00775
  • MoNA: KO002517
  • MoNA: KO002518
  • MoNA: KO002519
  • MoNA: KO002520
  • MoNA: KO002521
  • MoNA: MoNA002259
  • MoNA: MoNA002260
  • MoNA: MoNA002261
  • MoNA: MoNA010567
  • MoNA: MoNA010568
  • MoNA: MoNA010569
  • MoNA: MoNA010570
  • MoNA: MoNA010571
  • MoNA: MoNA010572
  • MoNA: MoNA010996
  • MoNA: MoNA010997
  • MoNA: MoNA010998
  • MoNA: MoNA010999
  • MoNA: MoNA016679
  • MoNA: MoNA024336
  • MoNA: MoNA024339
  • MoNA: MoNA032572
  • MoNA: MoNA032574
  • MoNA: MoNA032575
  • MoNA: MoNA034701
  • MoNA: MoNA034704
  • MoNA: MoNA034705
  • MoNA: MoNA036404
  • MoNA: MoNA036408
  • MoNA: MoNA036409
  • MoNA: MoNA036477
  • MoNA: MoNA036478
  • MoNA: MoNA036479
  • MoNA: MoNA037048
  • MoNA: MoNA037360
  • MoNA: MoNA038111
  • MoNA: MoNA038483
  • MoNA: MoNA038692
  • MoNA: MT000092
  • MoNA: PR100111
  • MoNA: PR100534
  • MoNA: PS018401
  • MoNA: PS018402
  • MoNA: PS018403
  • MoNA: PS018404
  • MoNA: PS018405
  • MoNA: PS018406
  • Metlin: METLIN_7
  • Coconut NaturalProduct: CNP0156562.0

Class / Ontology

Metabolic Network
ID EC Number Name
KEGG:R01566 3.5.3.3 creatine amidinohydrolase
KEGG:R01881 2.7.3.2 ATP:creatine N-phosphotransferase
KEGG:R01882 3.9.1.1 N-phosphocreatine hydrolase
KEGG:R01883 2.1.1.2 S-adenosyl-L-methionine:guanidinoacetate N-methyltransferase
KEGG:R01884 3.5.2.10 creatinine amidohydrolase
BioCyc:PHOSPHOAMIDASE-RXN 3.9.1.1 WATER + CREATINE-P --> Pi + CREATINE
BioCyc:CREATINASE-RXN 3.5.3.3 WATER + CREATINE --> UREA + SARCOSINE
BioCyc:CREATINE-KINASE-RXN 2.7.3.2 CREATINE + ATP<=>PROTON + CREATINE-P + ADP
BioCyc:GUANIDINOACETATE-N-METHYLTRANSFERASE-RXN 2.1.1.2 S-ADENOSYLMETHIONINE + GUANIDOACETIC_ACID --> PROTON + ADENOSYL-HOMO-CYS + CREATINE
BioCyc:CREATININASE-RXN 3.5.2.10 WATER + CREATININE<=>CREATINE
View More
Organism Source

Taxonomy Source

  1. Agastache rugosus [ncbi taxid: ]
  2. Allium nigrum [ncbi taxid: 165640]
  3. Bos taurus [ncbi taxid: 9913]
  4. Bubalus bubalis [ncbi taxid: 89462]
  5. Canis familiaris [ncbi taxid: ]
  6. Canis lupus familiaris [ncbi taxid: 9615]
  7. Crataegus pinnatifida [ncbi taxid: 510735]
  8. Cyprinus carpio [ncbi taxid: 7962]
  9. Elephas maximus [ncbi taxid: 9783]
  10. Euphorbia seguieriana [ncbi taxid: 756633]
  11. Homo sapiens [ncbi taxid: 9606]
  12. Inula racemosa [ncbi taxid: 483693]
  13. Lippia multiflora [ncbi taxid: ]
  14. Lippia triphylla [ncbi taxid: ]
  15. Luidia maculata [ncbi taxid: 60584]
  16. Mentha gentilis [ncbi taxid: ]
  17. Mus musculus [ncbi taxid: 10090]
  18. Pelophylax nigromaculatus [ncbi taxid: 8409]
  19. Pelophylax plancyi [ncbi taxid: 109178]
  20. Rana nigromaculata [ncbi taxid: ]
  21. Rumex sanguineus [ncbi taxid: 291096]
  22. Tussilago farfara [ncbi taxid: 118778]

Pathway Synthetic

pathway id name
WikiPathways:WP3604 Biochemical pathways: part I
WikiPathways:WP5355 Metabolic Epileptic Disorders
WikiPathways:WP1495 Glycine metabolism
WikiPathways:WP5190 Creatine pathway
PathBank:SMP0120694 Dihydropyrimidine Dehydrogenase Deficiency (DHPD)
PathBank:SMP0120710 Guanidinoacetate Methyltransferase Deficiency (GAMT Deficiency)
PathBank:SMP0120754 Non-Ketotic Hyperglycinemia
PathBank:SMP0120758 Ornithine Aminotransferase Deficiency (OAT Deficiency)
PathBank:SMP0120770 Hyperglycinemia, Non-Ketotic
PathBank:SMP0120790 Hyperornithinemia-Hyperammonemia-Homocitrullinuria [HHH-syndrome]
PathBank:SMP0120569 Creatine Deficiency, Guanidinoacetate Methyltransferase Deficiency
PathBank:SMP0000020 Arginine and Proline Metabolism
PathBank:SMP0000362 Arginine: Glycine Amidinotransferase Deficiency (AGAT Deficiency)
PathBank:SMP0000188 Guanidinoacetate Methyltransferase Deficiency (GAMT Deficiency)
PathBank:SMP0000242 Dimethylglycine Dehydrogenase Deficiency
PathBank:SMP0000223 Non-Ketotic Hyperglycinemia
PathBank:SMP0000484 Dimethylglycine Dehydrogenase Deficiency
PathBank:SMP0000504 Creatine Deficiency, Guanidinoacetate Methyltransferase Deficiency
PathBank:SMP0087338 Glycine and Serine Metabolism
PathBank:SMP0087466 Glycine and Serine Metabolism
View All Pathways