L-アスパラギン酸

解説アスパラギン酸は、タンパク質を構成する20種類の天然アミノ酸の中の一種です。アスパラガスの芽から発見された事にちなんで、この名前が付けられました。ヒトにおいては体内で合成可能な事から、非必須アミノ酸に分類されます。光学活性な化合物であり、L体とD体が存在しますが、タンパク質構成アミノ酸としてのアスパラギン酸は全てL体です。 アスパラギン酸は、1個のアミノ基（-NH2）と2個のカルボキシ基（-COOH）を持つ両性イオン化合物であり、等電点であるpH2.77の条件下ではその電荷が0となり、それより低いpHではプラスの電荷を、それよりも高いpHではマイナスの電荷を有します。

説明L-Aspartic acid is the L-form of the aspartic acid. It is one of the 20 amino acids that used in the protein synthesis. It is the non-essential amino acids for humans as it can be synthesized in vivo. It is important in the synthesis of other amino acids and some nucleotides, and is a metabolite in the citric acid and urea cycles. In animals, it may be used as a neurotransmitter. It can be chemically synthesize from the diethyl sodium phthalimidomalonate. Currently, almost all the aspartic acids are manufactured in China. Its application include being used as low calorie sweetener (as the part of the aspartame), scale and corrosion inhibitor, and in resins. One of its growing applications is for the manufacturing of biodegradable superabsorbent polymer, polyaspartic acid. It can also be used in fertilizer industry to improve water retention and nitrogen uptake.

天然物の起源Dietary sources Aspartic acid is not an essential amino acid, which means that it can be synthesized from central metabolic pathway intermediates in humans. Aspartic acid is found in : Animal sources : luncheon meats, sausage meat, wild game Vegetable sources: sprouting seeds, oat flakes, avocado, asparagus , young sugarcane, and molasses from sugar beets. Chemical synthesis Racemic aspartic acid can be synthesized from diethyl sodium phthalimido malonate, (C6H4(CO)2NC(CO2Et)2). The major disadvantage of the above technique is that equimolar amounts of each enantiomer are made. Using biotechnology it is now possible to use immobilized enzymes to create just one type of enantiomer owing to their stereo specificity. Aspartic acid is made synthetically using ammonium fumarate and aspartase from E.coli, E.coli usually breaks down the aspartic acid as a nitrogen source but using excess amounts of ammonium fumarate a reversal of the enzyme's job is possible, and so aspartic acid is made to very high yields, 98.7 mM from 1 M.

来歴Aspartic acid was first discovered in 1827 by Plisson, derived from asparagine, which had been isolated from asparagus juice in 1806, by boiling with a base.

使用L-aspartic acid is used as a dietary supplement, it can be blended with minerals to make compounds like potassium aspartate, copper aspartate, manganese aspartate, magnesium aspartate, zinc aspartate and more. Increasing the absorption, and hence utilization potentials, of these minerals via the addition of aspartate induces certain health benefits. Many athletes use L-aspartic acid-based mineral supplements orally to enhance their performance capacities. Aspartic acid and glutamic acid play important roles as general acids in enzyme active centers, as well as in maintaining the solubility and ionic character of proteins. It can help promote a robust metabolism, and is sometimes used to treat fatigue and depression. Aspartic acid is used as a component of parenteral and enteral nutrition. In pharmaceutical agents aspartic acid is used as an ammoniac detoxicating agent, hepar function accelerator and fatigue refresher.