Amino Acid Profile, Qn (Plasma)
Plasma
Performed by: LabCorp
Diagnosis and monitoring of inherited aminoacidurias, organic acidurias, and urea cycle defects. May be used as a follow-up confirmatory test to some abnormal newborn screen results.
False-negative results can occur, especially when a patient is affected with a mild or intermittent variant of a disorder or when clinical condition or dietary treatment causes secondary changes to the profile. Results of amino acid profiling should be interpreted in the context of clinical presentation, as well as other laboratory tests. Frozen serum may be diagnostic, however, certain amino acids may be falsely elevated or low.
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Biomarkers included in this panel:
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.
Learn moreAllo-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.
Learn moreAlpha-aminoadipic acid (a-Aminoadipic acid) is an intermediary metabolite of lysine (primarily) and of tryptophan.
Learn moreAlpha 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
Learn moreArginine 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
Learn moreArgininosuccinate (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
Learn moreAsparagine 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
Learn moreAspartic 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
Learn moreBeta-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.
Learn moreBeta-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
Learn moreThe 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
Learn moreCystathionine 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
Learn moreCystine 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.
Learn moreGamma-aminobutyrate (GABA) is the major inhibitory neurotransmitter found in the CNS and, as such, is important for balancing excitatory action of other neurotransmitters.
Learn moreGlutamate 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.
Learn moreGlutamine 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.
Learn moreGlycine 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.
Learn moreHistidine 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
Learn moreThe 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
Learn moreHomocystine 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.
Learn moreHydroxylysine 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
Learn moreHydroxyproline 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
Learn moreIsoleucine 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
Learn moreLeucine, 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
Learn moreLysine is found in great quantities in muscle tissues, stimulates calcium absorption, carnitine synthesis, and growth and repair of muscle tissue.
Learn moreMethionine 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.
Learn moreOrnithine 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.
Learn morePhenylalanine 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
Learn moreProline 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
Learn moreSarcosine 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
Learn moreSerine 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.
Learn moreTaurine is a sulfur-containing amino acid required for bile formation.
Learn moreThreonine 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.
Learn moreTryptophan is an essential amino acid required for the production of the neurotransmitter serotonin.
Learn moreTyrosin 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.
Learn moreValine, together with Isoleucine and Leucine are essential amino acids and are collectively referred to as branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs).
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