Which vital metabolic function is carried out by the mammalian liver when excess dietary amino acids cannot be stored in the body?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: B. deamination of amino acids into toxic ammonia before conversion into urea
- Step 1: The human body cannot store surplus amino acids. Step 2. Hepatocytes remove the amino group (-NH₂) via deamination, producing ammonia. Step 3. In the ornithine cycle, toxic ammonia combines with CO₂ to form less toxic urea, excreted by kidneys. The keto acid remnant is metabolized for energy. Answer: deamination of amino acids into toxic ammonia, which is rapidly converted into urea. Why not the others: Amino acids form proteins, not glycogen; elements cannot be transmuted; amino acids are deaminated, not wasted in bile.
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