NAME:
Valine
L-2-aminoisovaleric acid
SYMBOLS: Val; V
CAS REGISTRY NUMBER: 72-18-4
FAMILY: Amino acids with nonpolar (hydrophobic) radicals
MOLECULAR FORMULA: C5H11O2N
MOLECULAR WEIGHT: 117
ISOELECTRIC POINT: 5.96 |
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COMMENTS:
• neutral,
genetically coded amino acid
•
essential in
human nutrition, i.e. it must be obtained through the
diet in adequate quantities to meet the body's needs
•
with leucine and isoleucine belongs to the set of branched-chain
amino acids
•
obtained by
hydrolysis of proteins and was first isolated by the
German chemist Emil Fischer in 1901 from casein
• found in high
concentration in the muscles
•
promotes muscle recovery after physical exercise
• plays a role
in wound healing and the growth of new tissue
• after injury,
an individual mobilizes the branched-chain amino acids
from his or her muscles to synthesize glucose in the
liver
•
Maple
Syrup Urine Disease (MSUD) is caused by the inability to
metabolize leucine, isoleucine, and valine; this disease
is so named because urine from affected people smells
like maple syrup
•
a
deficiency may affect the myelin covering of the nerves
•
supplementation
with the branched-chain
amino acids may
be helpful in preventing muscle breakdown after
trauma
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