Deamination

• Deamination is the breakdown of amino acids that releases nitrogen-containing amine groups (NH2), which can be toxic to cells
• The liver removes these amine groups via deamination and converts them into harmless products
• The amine group is first converted into ammonia, which is toxic, and then into urea
• Urea is non-toxic and excreted from the body by the kidneys as a component of urine
• The amine group can also be transferred via transamination to make new amino acids
• These new amino acids are non-essential as they can be synthesized by the body
• The remaining carbon skeleton from deamination is recycled to produce compounds that can be oxidized for energy
• This recycling process includes the formation of glucose, ketone bodies, and acetyl CoA