Asparagine was first isolated in 1806 from asparagus juice, naturally, from where it got its name, becoming the first amino acid to be isolated. Asparagine is one of the principal and frequently the most abundant of the amino acids involved in the transport of nitrogen. Asparagine is the b-amide of aspartic acid synthesized from aspartic acid and adenosine triphosphate (ATP). The main function of asparagine is converting one amino acid into another via amination, the process by which an amine group is introduced into an organic molecule, and transamination, the reaction when an amino acid is transferred to an a-ketoacid. Asparagine is required by the nervous system and plays an important role in the synthesis of ammonia.
| Micromole per liter | µmol/L = mcmol/L = umol/L = µM/L = mcM/L = uM/L = micromol/L |
| Milligram per liter | mg/L = millig/L = milligram/L = mg/liter |
| Milligram per deciliter | mg/dL = millig/dL = milligram/dL |
| Milligram per 100 milliliters | mg/100mL = millig/100mL = milligram/100mL |
| Milligram percent | mg% = millig% = milligram% |
| Microgram per milliliter | µg/mL = mcg/mL = ug/mL = microg/mL = microgram/mL |