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Metabolite Card

Note

Aspartic acid (Asp), also known as L-aspartic acid or as aspartate, the name of its anion, is an alpha-amino acid. These are amino acids in which the amino group is attached to the carbon atom immediately adjacent to the carboxylate group (alpha carbon). Amino acids are organic compounds that contain amino (–NH2) and carboxyl (–COOH) functional groups, along with a side chain (R group) specific to each amino acid. L-aspartic acid is one of 20 proteinogenic amino acids, i.e., the amino acids used in the biosynthesis of proteins. Aspartic acid is found in all organisms ranging from bacteria to plants to animals. It is classified as an acidic, charged (at physiological pH), aliphatic amino acid. In humans, aspartic acid is a nonessential amino acid derived from glutamic acid by enzymes using vitamin B6. However, in the human body, aspartate is most frequently synthesized through the transamination of oxaloacetate. A non-essential amino acid is an amino acid that can be synthesized from central metabolic pathway intermediates in humans and is not required in the diet. As its name indicates, aspartic acid is the carboxylic acid analog of asparagine. The D-isomer of aspartic acid (D-aspartic acid) is one of two D-amino acids commonly found in mammals. Aspartic acid was first discovered in 1827 by Auguste-Arthur Plisson and Étienne Ossian Henry by hydrolysis of asparagine, which had been isolated from asparagus juice in 1806. Aspartate has many biochemical roles. It is a neurotransmitter, a metabolite in the urea cycle and it participates in gluconeogenesis. It carries reducing equivalents in the malate-aspartate shuttle, which utilizes the ready interconversion of aspartate and oxaloacetate, which is the oxidized (dehydrogenated) derivative of malic acid. Aspartate donates one nitrogen atom in the biosynthesis of inosine, the precursor to the purine bases which are key to DNA biosynthesis. In addition, aspartic acid acts as a hydrogen acceptor in a chain of ATP synthase. Aspartic acid is a major excitatory neurotransmitter, which is sometimes found to be increased in epileptic and stroke patients. It is decreased in depressed patients and in patients with brain atrophy. As a neurotransmitter, aspartic acid may provide resistance to fatigue and thus lead to endurance, although the evidence to support this idea is not strong (Wikipedia). Aspartic acid supplements are being evaluated. Five grams can raise blood levels. Magnesium and zinc may be natural inhibitors of some of the actions of aspartic acid. Aspartic acid, when chemically coupled with the amino acid D-phenylalanine, is a part of a natural sweetener, aspartame. This sweetener is an advance in artificial sweeteners, and is probably safe in normal doses to all except phenylketonurics. Aspartic acid may be a significant immunostimulant of the thymus and can protect against some of the damaging effects of radiation. Aspartic acid is found in higher abundance in: oysters, luncheon meats, sausage meat, wild game, sprouting seeds, oat flakes, avocado, asparagus, young sugarcane, and molasses from sugar beets.