N-Acetylmuramic acid

• NAM
• MurNAc

Risk

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N- acetylmuramic acid (NAM) is a monosaccharide and thus a carbohydrate. Its basic structure is a N-acetyl glucosamine, that is acetylated at the C2 atom, a amide moiety, which is about to be etherified C3 atom with lactic acid.

NAM is also important for the structure of murein, a major substance of bacterial cell walls, where it is linked glycosidically with N- acetylglucosamine.