Amino Acid Profile, Qn (Plasma)

Plasma

Performed by: LabCorp

Biomarkers included in this panel:

Alanine

Alanine is a non-essential amino acid and helps the body convert the simple sugar glucose into energy and eliminate excess toxins from the liver.

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Alloisoleucine

Allo-isoleucine is nearly undetectable in individuals not affected by maple-syrup urine disease (MSUD). Accordingly, its presence is diagnostic for MSUD, and its absence is sufficient to rule-out MSUD.

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Alpha-aminoadipate

Alpha-aminoadipic acid (a-Aminoadipic acid) is an intermediary metabolite of lysine (primarily) and of tryptophan.

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Alpha-aminobutyrate

Alpha amniobutyric acid (AABA), also known as Alpha-amino-N-butyric acid (A-ANB), is an intermediate formed during the catabolism of methionine and threonine. Increases in AABA occur secondary to elevations of either methionine or threonine. AABA bec

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Arginine

Arginine is a conditionally essential amino acid that is critical for your cardiovascular health and detoxification functions. The amino acid, arginine, is used to make the powerful blood vessel regulator, nitric oxide. Nitric oxide acts to lower blo

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Argininosuccinate

Argininosuccinate (aka Arginosuccinic acid) is a basic amino acid. Some cells synthesize it from citrulline, aspartic acid and use it as a precursor for arginine in the urea cycle or Citrulline-NO cycle. The enzyme that catalyzes the reaction is argi

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Asparagine

Asparagine is a protein amino acid. It is non-essential in humans, meaning the body can synthesize it. Asparagine is synthesized from aspartate and glutamine. Asparagine has three major functions: incorporation into amino acid sequences of p

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Aspartate

Aspartic acid is a nonessential amino acid that plays roles in many important metabolic processes, such as energy production (citric acid cycle), hormone metabolism, CNS activation, and the urea cycle. It is found in many protein sources such as oyst

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Beta-alanine

Beta-alanine is is a non-essential amino acid. What are amino acids? Non-essential amino acids can be made by the body, so they don’t have to be provided by food. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins.

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Beta-aminoisobutyrate

Beta-aminoisobutyric acid (BAIB) is an amino acid end product of the pyrimidine metabolism. It is excreted in small quantities into the urine in almost all human beings. Thymine, released when RNA and DNA are degraded, enters a catabolic pathway that

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Citrulline

The amino acid citrulline gets its name from its high concentration in the watermelon Citrullus vulgaris. In human kidneys, citrulline and aspartic acid are united by argininosuccinate synthetase (ASS) to produce arginosuccinate. The degrad

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Cystathionine

Cystathionine is an intermediary metabolite that is formed in the sequential enzymatic conversion of methionine to cysteine. Cystathionine is normally detected at very low levels in plasma. It is found between homocysteine an

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Cystine

Cystine is the oxidized disulfide form of cysteine (Cys) and is the predominant form of cysteine in the blood due to its greater relative stability. Cystine is derived from dietary protein and, end formed endogenously from cysteine.

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Ethanolamine, Plasma

Plasma

Ethanolamine, Plasma is a marker measured in an Amino Acid Profile, Quantitative (Plasma) panel, which plays an important role in various bodily functions. Ethanolamine is a key component of phospholipids, which are essential building blocks of cell

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Gamma-aminobutyrate

Gamma-aminobutyrate (GABA) is the major inhibitory neurotransmitter found in the CNS and, as such, is important for balancing excitatory action of other neurotransmitters.

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Glutamate

Glutamate functions as the major excitatory neurotransmitter and metabolic fuel throughout the body. Glutamate is produced in your body, and is also found in many foods.

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Glutamine

Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in the blood and is an important source of energy for many tissues in the body. It is derived from the amino acids histidine and glutamic acid.

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Glycine

Glycine is an amino acid with various important functions within your body, including detoxification, DNA formation, the synthesis of hemoglobin, and as a part of brain neurotransmission pathways. Glycine and serine are interchangeable.

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Histidine

Histidine is a semi-essential amino acid which is formed in the breakdown of carnosine. Red meat is a common source of carnosine, and therefore histadine. Other food sources include poultry, fish, nuts, seeds, and grains. Histidine and histamine have

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Homocitrulline

The amino acid homocitrulline is a metabolite of ornithine in human metabolism. The amino acid can be detected in larger amounts in the urine of individuals with urea cycle disorders. Both amino acids can be detected in urine. Amino acid anal

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Homocystine

Homocystine is a common amino acid in your blood. You get it mostly from eating meat. High levels of it are linked to early development of heart disease.

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Hydroxylysine

Hydroxylysine is an amino acid related to collagen. What is collagen? Collagen is the most abundant protein in your body. It is the major component of connective tissues that make up several body parts, including tendons, ligamen

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Hydroxyproline

Hydroxyproline is a collagen related amino acid. Hydroxyproline is a nonessential amino acid, which means that it is manufactured from other amino acids in the liver. Hydroxyproline is necessary for the construction of the body’s major structur

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Isoleucine

Isoleucine is one of the three branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) alongside both leucine and valine. Isoleucine is a common component of proteins, peptides and hormones. Leucine is catabolized as a source of carbon for ene

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Leucine

Leucine, together with isoleucine and valine, are essential amino acids that are referred to as branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs). Leucine is nutritionally essential and is required for formation of body proteins, enzymes and

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Lysine

Lysine is found in great quantities in muscle tissues, stimulates calcium absorption, carnitine synthesis, and growth and repair of muscle tissue.

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Methionine

Methionine is an essential amino acid, meaning we need to get it from our diet as our body does not produce it. Methionine is a unique sulfur-containing amino acid that can be used to build proteins and produce many molecules in the body.

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Ornithine

Ornithine is a urea cycle metabolite. Ornithine can stimulate the release of growth hormone. Growth hormone is necessary for tissue repair and growth. Growth hormone is often low in patients with fibromyalgia.

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P-Ethanolamine, Plasma

Plasma

P-Ethanolamine, Plasma is short for Phosphoethanolamine (PEA). Phosphoethanolamine (PEA) is a marker measured in the plasma as part of an Amino Acid Profile, Quantitative (Qn) panel. This compound is a derivative of the amino acid serine and plays a

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Phenylalanine

Phenylalanine is a precursor for the amino acid tyrosine, which is essential for making neurotransmitters (e.g. epinephrine, norepinephrine, dopamine) and thyroid hormone. Neurotransmitters are the chemicals that communicate

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Proline

Proline is a nonessential amino acid, which means that it is manufactured from other amino acids in the liver; it does not have to be obtained directly through the diet. Proline is the precursor to hydroxyproline, which is a major amino acid

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Sarcosine

Sarcosine is also known as N-methylglycine. It is an intermediate and byproduct in the glycine synthesis and degradation. Sarcosine is metabolized to glycine by the enzyme sarcosine dehydrogenase, while glycine-N-methyl transferase generate

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Serine

Serine is a nonessential amino acid used in protein biosynthesis and can be derived from four possible sources: dietary intake, degradation of protein and phospholipids, biosynthesis from glycolysis intermediate 3-phosphoglycerate, or from glycine.

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Taurine

Taurine is a sulfur-containing amino acid required for bile formation.

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Threonine

Threonine is an essential amino acid, i.e., it is vital for your health, but it cannot be synthesized by your body and therefore has to be obtained from a diet.

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Tryptophan

Tryptophan is an essential amino acid required for the production of the neurotransmitter serotonin.

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Tyrosine

Tyrosin is the non-essential amino acid precursor for dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine. Tyrosine hydroxylase converts tyrosine into the dopamine precursor L-DOPA; BH4, Vitamin D and iron are cofactors for that enzymatic activity.

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Valine

Valine, together with Isoleucine and Leucine are essential amino acids and are collectively referred to as branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs).

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