Deoxythymidine Unit Converter

Deoxythymidine (also called thymidine) is a nucleoside, one of the building blocks your body uses to make and repair DNA. It consists of the base thymine linked to a deoxyribose sugar molecule.

In healthy individuals, plasma deoxythymidine is normally undetectable because an enzyme called thymidine phosphorylase rapidly breaks it down. A detectable or elevated level signals that this breakdown pathway is impaired.

This test is primarily used to help diagnose rare mitochondrial disorders, most notably MNGIE (mitochondrial neurogastrointestinal encephalomyopathy), where thymidine accumulates and damages mitochondrial DNA.

Deoxythymidine is produced in all cells through the nucleoside salvage pathway and de novo synthesis. It is normally broken down rapidly by thymidine phosphorylase, an enzyme found at high levels in the liver and intestinal lining.