#amino acid

• Alanine — A non-essential, structurally aliphatic amino acid with the chemical formula CH3-CH(NH2)-COOH, which is a constituent of most proteins in living organisms; it plays a fundamental role in glucose metabolism through the glucose-alanine cycle, allowing muscles to convert amino acids into energy and transport residual nitrogen to the liver for elimination as urea. This organic compound actively participates in protein synthesis, immune system support, and blood sugar regulation.
• Amino- — A scientific combining form (prefixoid) used in international chemical nomenclature to indicate the presence of the monovalent functional group (-NH2), derived from ammonia, within the structure of an organic compound. As an invariable adjective, it is used in biochemistry to designate fundamental compounds, such as amino acids, which form the basis of protein synthesis in all living organisms.
• Aminoacetic — Derived from acetic acid by substituting a hydrogen atom in the methyl group with an amino group. The term is used almost exclusively in the phrase 'aminoacetic acid', the systematic name for glycine (or glycocoll), the simplest natural aliphatic amino acid, a basic structural constituent of animal proteins, used in medicine as a nutrient and in industry as a buffer solution.
• Amino acid — An organic compound with a mixed function, containing in its molecule one or more amino groups (-NH2) and carboxyl groups (-COOH). These structural compounds are the fundamental building blocks of proteins, classified into essential (which cannot be synthesized by the organism and must be provided by diet) and non-essential, playing a crucial role in cellular metabolism, enzyme synthesis, and nerve impulse transmission.
• Aminoacidemia — The total concentration or presence of free amino acids in the blood stream. The structural measurement of aminoacidemia is a fundamental laboratory analysis for neonatal screening and diagnosing inborn errors of metabolism, such as phenylketonuria, or for monitoring liver and kidney function in critical pathological states.
• Arginine — A vital semi-essential amino acid for the human body, structurally involved in protein synthesis, ammonia detoxification via the urea cycle, and nitric oxide production. This organic compound plays a crucial role in blood pressure regulation, immune system support, wound healing, and hormone secretion, frequently administered as a dietary supplement in sports nutrition and cardiovascular therapies.
• Asparagine — A non-essential amino acid, being the first one historically isolated from natural sources (asparagus juice in 1806); it plays a crucial role in human protein biosynthesis, central nervous system metabolism as a neurotransmitter precursor, and in the clearance of toxic ammonia from the body via urea transformation; it is also a key structural compound in the nitrogen metabolism of many higher plants.
• Aspartic — Containing aspartate or relating to a non-essential dicarboxylic amino acid; used almost exclusively in the phrase 'aspartic acid', a fundamental constituent of human and animal proteins that plays a vital role in the urea cycle, the synthesis of other amino acids, and the proper functioning of the metabolic and nervous systems.