Amino Acids and Their Diversity, Classification, Action, and Significance in the Body
Tim Klein
2026-03-18
6 min. read
1 / 1
1 zdjęcie
63
Amino acids are a very broad and extremely diverse category of chemical compounds that fulfill many fundamental functions in the body. The most significant aspect of amino acids is their ability to form proteins, which are the building blocks of the organism. Amino acids can be fundamentally divided into exogenous and endogenous parts. What are their actions and role in the body? Answers to these questions can be found in the following article, which presents their functioning, natural sources, and the importance of providing them in adequate amounts, as well as the differences between them.
What are amino acids?
From a chemical perspective, amino acids are a comprehensive group of organic compounds that share the common characteristic of having at least one basic amino group and one acidic hydroxyl group in a molecule. For this reason, amino acids belong to the group of ampholytes, which behave as both acids and bases. Amino acids serve as the fundamental building blocks of nearly all protein structures. However, it turns out that only 20 out of the 300 known amino acids fulfill the function of a building block in the body. These are referred to as proteinogenic amino acids. The majority of these, with the exception of proline, belong to the alpha-amino acids. Besides proteinogenic amino acids, there are also non-proteinogenic ones that also perform significant physiological functions. An example of a non-proteinogenic amino acid is beta-alanine, which is part of a strong antioxidant, coenzyme A. Below is depicted the general chemical structure of alpha-, beta-, and gamma-amino acids. Source: Hames H. , Biochemistry. Brief lectures, Warsaw 2007. Due to their chemical structure, which resembles that of salts, amino acids are crystalline substances of white color. The melting point of amino acids is very high. All amino acids dissolve well in water, with proline being particularly soluble.
You have started reading a PRO article
You can preview the first chapter. To read the complete article and unlock all content, upgrade to a PRO account.
