In biochemistry, CPH4 is a name made famous by the movie, "Lucy" directed by Luc Besson. In reality, CPh4 (or 6-carboxytetrahydropterin synthase) is an enzyme that catalyses the conversion of sepiapterin to 6-carboxy-5,6,7,8-tetrahydropterin. This step is important in the biosynthesis pathway of tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4), a key co-factor for a number of critical enzymes, including the ones responsible for the synthesis of neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine.
In the movie "Lucy," the compound is portrayed as a synthetic drug capable of unlocking the full potential of the human brain and bestowing extraordinary mental and physical abilities. But there's a big piece of fiction: no such compound as portrayed in the movie exists in reality.
Emailing with Marc, "CPH4 is a name that I invented," Besson said. "It does exist a substance very close to the one I describe in the movie that five women out of 10,000 produce in pregnancy during the sixth week in very tiny quantities. But to try and recreate it on industrial scale would be as difficult as manufacturing diamonds."
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