Aspartate - Definition and Overview

Aspartic acid or aspartate is one of the 20 most common natural amino acids which are the building blocks of proteins. As its name indicates, it is the acidic analog of asparagine, with a carboxylic acid component to its side chain. It is non-essential in mammals, and might serve as an excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain. It is also used in the urea cycle, and can participate in gluconeogenesis.

Aspartic acid has a molecular weight of 133.10, a van der Waals radius of 91 and an isoelectric point of 2.85.

This neurotransmitter may provide resistance to fatigue and thus lead to possessing more endurance, although the evidence to support this idea is not strong.

See also

• aspartate transaminase