Biomedical Importance of amino acids

Furthermore to supplying the monomer units by which  the lengthy polypeptide chains of proteins are synthesized, the L-α-amino acids as well as their derivatives take part in cellular functions as various as neural transmission plus the biosynthesis of porphyrins, purines, pyrimidines, and urea.

Small polymers of amino acids named peptides carry out dominant tasks in the neuroendocrine system as hormones, hormone-releasing factors, neuromodulators, or neurotransmitters.

  Although proteins include only L-α-amino acids, microorganisms intricate  peptides that includes both D- and L-α-amino acids.

Numerous of these peptides are of therapeutic importance, for example the antibiotics bacitracin and gramicidin A and the antitumor agent bleomycin.

A number of other microbial peptides are poisonous. The cyanobacterial peptides microcystin and nodularin are fatal in big dosage amounts, even though little amounts encourage the occurance of hepatic tumors.

Not humans nor any other higher animals can synthesize 10 of the 20 common L-α-amino acids in quantities sufficient to aid infant growth as well as keep health in adults.

Therefore, the human diet plan should consist of sufficient  amounts of those nutritionally necessary amino acids.