3-Hydroxypropionic

Optimal Result: 0 - 8 mmol/mol creatinine.

3-Hydroxypropionic acid (3-HPA) is a major urinary metabolite of propionic acid. Propionic acid is derived from dietary branched-chain amino acids, odd-chain fatty acids, and can be produced in the gut by bacterial fermentation of fiber. The biotindependent enzyme propionyl CoA carboxylase is responsible for metabolizing propionic acid to methylmalonyl CoA, which is subsequently isomerized to succinyl CoA. Decreased activity of this enzyme shunts propionyl CoA into alternative pathways which form 3-HPA.

References:

Tong L. Structure and function of biotin-dependent carboxylases. Cell Mol Life Sci. 2013;70(5):863-891.

Mock NI, Malik MI, Stumbo PJ, Bishop WP, Mock DM. Increased urinary excretion of 3-hydroxyisovaleric acid and decreased urinary excretion of biotin are sensitive early indicators of decreased biotin status in experimental biotin deficiency. Am J Clin Nutr. 1997;65(4):951-958.

Surtees RAH, Matthews EE, Leonard JV. Neurologic outcome of propionic acidemia. Ped Neurol. 1992;8(5):333-337.

Baumgartner MR, Hörster F, Dionisi-Vici C, et al. Proposed guidelines for the diagnosis and management of methylmalonic and propionic acidemia. Orph J Rare Dis. 2014;9(1):130.

Xiong X, Liu D, Wang Y, Zeng T, Peng Y. Urinary 3-(3-hydroxyphenyl)-3-hydroxypropionic acid, 3-hydroxyphenylacetic acid, and 3-hydroxyhippuric acid are elevated in children with autism spectrum disorders. BioMed Res Int. 2016;2016.

Chapman KA, Gropman A, MacLeod E, et al. Acute management of propionic acidemia. Mol Genet Metab. 2012;105(1):16-25.

What does it mean if your 3-Hydroxypropionic result is too low?

Low levels of urinary 3-hydroxypropionic acid may be seen with decreased amino acid and fatty acid precursors from maldigestion, malabsorption or impaired fatty acid oxidation. Because the propionic acid precursor is also made in the GI tract, decreased fiber intake or antibiotic use can result in lower urinary 3-hydroxypropionic acid as well. In fact, low protein diets and antibiotics are used acutely to treat inborn errors of metabolism which cause propionic acidemia.

What does it mean if your 3-Hydroxypropionic result is too high?

Biotin is a cofactor in the propionylCoA-carboxylase enzyme. Reduced activity of this enzyme due to functional biotin deficiency can cause elevations of the urinary organic acid 3-hydroxypropionic acid. However, in isolation, it may not be as sensitive a marker as 3-hydroxyisovaleric acid to diagnose marginal biotin deficiency. There are inborn errors of metabolism associated with this organic acid. When the propionylCoA-carboxylase enzyme is deficient, the result is propionic acidemia and elevated urinary 3-hydroxypropionic acid. Some isolated case reports reveal the possibility of a later onset in this enzyme deficiency.

Because of the relationship between propionylCoA and methylmalonyl CoA, 3-HPA elevations have also been observed in inborn errors causing methylmalonic acidemia.

10 000+ happy customers
100% satisfaction
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ customer support

Understand blood, stool, and urine medical results from all your laboratories.

Upload Your Personal Results

Upload Personal Results

For professional account plans go here

for professional account plans go here

Monthly plan

Annual plan

Own it for life

  • Subscription
  • Data entry service included

    Data entry service

    Our exclusive data entry service is a convenient way to get your results into your private dashboard. Simply attach an image or a file of your lab test results, and one of our qualified data entry team members will add the results for you. We support all sorts of files, whether PDFs, JPGs, or Excel. This service is excellent whether you have a lot of reports to upload or are too busy to do the data entry yourself.

  • Instant interpretation
  • Use free data entry form

    Free data entry form

    We strive to make the data entry process easy for you. Whether by offering dozens of templates to choose from that pre-populate the most popular laboratory panels or by giving you instant feedback on the entered values. Our data entry forms are an easy, fast, and convenient way to enter the reports yourself. There is no limit on how many lab reports you can upload.

  • 4000+ biomarkers explained
  • Nutrition recommendations
  • Cancel anytime

Complete

$15 /month

billed every month

  • monthly
  • $15 per report
  • ✓ Instant interpretations
  • ✓ 4000+ biomarkers explained
  • ✓ Nutrition recommendations
  • ✓ Free data entry form
  • ✓ Unlimited data
  • ✓ $15 data entry service
  • ✓ Cancel anytime

Most popular

Data entry included

Advanced

$79 /year

$6.60/month billed annually

  • yearly
  • 5 reports free
  • ✓ Instant interpretations
  • ✓ 4000+ biomarkers explained
  • ✓ Nutrition recommendations
  • ✓ We enter 5 reports for you
  • ✓ Yearly subscription
  • ✓ Cancel anytime

Data entry included

Unlimited

$250 /once

own it for life

  • pay once
  • 10 reports free
  • ✓ Instant interpretations
  • ✓ 4000+ biomarkers explained
  • ✓ Nutrition recommendations
  • ✓ We enter 10 reports for you
  • ✓ No subscription
  • ✓ Dedicated support
  • ✓ Unlimited access

Are You a Health Professional?

Get started with our professional plan

Welcome to Healthmatters Pro.

Save time on interpreting lab results with the largest database of biomarkers online. In-depth research on any test at your fingertips, all stored and tracked in one place. Learn more

Pro Monthly Plus

for health professionals

  • ✓ Track multiple clients results
  • ✓ No setup fees
  • ✓ No hidden costs
  • ✓ Instant interpretations
  • ✓ 4000+ biomarkers explained
  • ✓ Includes data entry service
  • ✓ Personal training and support
  • ✓ Cancel anytime

$75 per month

Use promo code to save 10% off any plan.


We implement proven measures to keep your data safe.

At HealthMatters, we're committed to maintaining the security and confidentiality of your personal information. We've put industry-leading security standards in place to help protect against the loss, misuse, or alteration of the information under our control. We use procedural, physical, and electronic security methods designed to prevent unauthorized people from getting access to this information. Our internal code of conduct adds additional privacy protection. All data is backed up multiple times a day and encrypted using SSL certificates. See our Privacy Policy for more details.