alanine

noun

Etymology: From aldehyde + -anine, in reference to aldehyde, with the infix -an- for ease of pronunciation, when the German chemist Adolph Strecker first synthesized alanine in 1850 by mixing acetaldehyde (then just known as aldehyde) with ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, and hydrochloric acid.

1. A nonessential amino acid 2-aminopropanoic acid found in most animal proteins

   “Potatoes can be a good source of alanine.”

   “Furthermore, wedelolactone also increased the activities of superoxidase dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and decreased the level of the lipid peroxidation product malondialdehyde (MDA) in the liver, therefore decreasing the activity of alanine aminotransferase (ALT).”

2. A specific residue, molecule, or isomer of this amino acid

   “Two alanines are replaced by prolines.”