the Urea Cycle

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the Urea Cycle

The urea cycle (aka the ornithine cycle) is a cycle of biochemical reactions that produces urea (\(H_2NCONH_2\)) from ammonia (\(NH_3\)).

Amino acids lose their amine groups upon catabolism

These amine groups become toxic ammonia

Ammonia needs to be excreted, or it will impair cephalic metabolic activities

It gets converted into non-toxic urea in the hepatocytes

Urea is excreted in the urine

Steps:

Transamination

Oxidative Deamination

Nitrogen removal

Urea Cycle