Pyridoxal 5′-phosphate (PLP) is synthesized in a multiple-step process. The two pathways inlcude pyridoxal phosphate biosynthetic protein (PdxA)- pyridoxine-5′-phosphate synthase (PdxJ) pathway and the pyridoxal 5′-phosphate synthase subunit PDX1/PDX2 pathway. It is the active form of pyridoxine.

Pyridoxal 5′-phosphate hydrate has also been used:

• as a reference standard to quantify vitamin B₆ in feed and digesta samples using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)
• in D-amino acid transaminase reaction(10)
• as a cofactor for L-glutamic acid decarboxylase

Pyridoxal 5′-phosphate (PLP) aids in carbohydrate and fat metabolism by serving as a cofactor. It is majorly responsible for catalyzing the enzymatic reactions involved in sphingolipid synthesis and neurotransmitter (dopamine and serotonin) synthesis. PLP is used in the studies of PLP-dependent enzyme active sites. PLP is also a cofactor for a wide range of enzymes including mitochondrial 5-Aminolevulinic acid synthase (ALAS) cysteine desulfurase, cystathionine γ-synthase (CGS), ornithine 4,5-aminomutase (OAM), and D-serine dehydratase.