Proline is a nonessential amino acid. It contains a secondary α-imino group and is sometimes called an α-imino acid.
Proline, and its metabolite hydroxyproline, constitute a third of the total amino acids found in collagen. Lysine, proline, hydroxyproline, and vitamin C are all important in the synthesis of collagen for skin, bones, tendons, and cartilage.
Proline is abundant in meat, bone meal, poultry, salmon, wheat, barley, and corn.
In addition to dietary sources, proline can be synthesized from glutamate/glutamine, arginine, and ornithine. It can also be synthesized within enterocytes from degradation of small peptides.
In addition to collagen formation, proline has many other physiologic functions including regulation of gene expression, mTOR activation (integrating nutrient and growth factor signaling in cells), cellular redox reactions, protein synthesis, hydroxyproline generation, arginine synthesis, and it is a scavenging antioxidant.
Low levels may be reflective of poor dietary intake, GI malabsorption, maldigestion, or low levels of its precursors.
Understand and improve your laboratory results with our health dashboard.
Upload your lab reports and get interpretation today.
Our technology helps to understand, combine, track, organize, and act on your medical lab test results.
High dietary intake of proline-rich foods can elevate levels. There are vitamin and mineral cofactors needed for downstream metabolism of proline in its many physiologic processes. Functional deficiency of nutrient cofactors, such as vitamin B1, can result in elevated levels. Furthermore, administration of vitamin B1 has been shown to lower proline levels, as well as other amino acids in severe thiamine deficiency.
Interpret Your Lab Results
Upload your lab report and we’ll interpret and provide you with recomendations today.
Get StartedGet Started With Our Personal Plan
Advanced Plan
Unlimited Plan
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 Plan
for health professionals
$45 per month
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.
1-Methylhistidine, 3-Methylhistidine, a-Amino-N-butyric Acid, a-Aminoadipic Acid, Alanine, Arginine, Asparagine, Aspartic Acid, b-Alanine, b-Aminoisobutyric Acid, Citrulline, Cyst(e)ine, Cystathionine, Ethanolamine, g-Aminobutyric Acid, Glutamic Acid, Glutamine, Glycine, Histidine, Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, Methionine, Ornithine, Phenylalanine, Phosphoethanolamine, Phosphoserine, Proline, Sarcosine, Serine, Taurine, Threonine, Tryptophan, Tyrosine, Urea, Valine