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Urea is the chief nitrogenous end product of the metabolic breakdown of proteins in all mammals and some fishes. The material occurs not only in the urine of all mammals but also in their blood, bile, milk, and perspiration.
Urea is a relatively non-toxic organic compound that aids in the breakdown of nitrogen-containing compounds and potentially toxic metabolic byproducts. Urea is produced in the liver through the Urea Cycle, which occurs in both the mitochondria and cytoplasm of liver cells.
Urea serves an important role in the cellular metabolism of nitrogen-containing compounds by animals and is the main nitrogen-containing substance in the urine of mammals. Urea is Neo-Latin, from French urée, from Ancient Greek οὖρον (oûron) 'urine', itself from Proto-Indo-European *h₂worsom.
Why is urea produced in such large quantities? The answer is that, other than ammonia, urea has the highest nitrogen content of all industrial chemicals and is in high demand as a fertilizer. In the soil, it decomposes back to ammonia (actually ammonium ion) and carbon dioxide.
Urea is the waste produced by humans, as well as many other mammals, amphibians and some fish, when the body metabolizes protein. In the liver, the urea cycle breaks down excess amino acids into ammonia, then transforms ammonia into urea.
The urea or ornithine cycle is a series of biochemical reactions found primarily in the liver and, to some extent, in ureotelic animals such as amphibians and mammals. The pathway helps dispose of the highly toxic ammonia (NH 3) from the blood by converting it to urea CO (NH 2) 2.
It starts with two main ingredients: ammonia (NH₃) and carbon dioxide (CO₂). When these gases are mixed together under high pressure and at a high temperature, they go through a special chemical reaction. This reaction forms urea (CO (NH₂)₂) and water (H₂O) as byproducts.
The urea is produced from ammonia and carbon dioxide. Protein within the diet is broken down to these constituent amino acids, which are then converted to carbon dioxide, water, and ammonia in the liver. However, ammonia is highly toxic, so it must be removed from the system as soon as possible.
The urea cycle (also known as the ornithine cycle) is a cycle of biochemical reactions that produces urea (NH 2) 2 CO from ammonia (NH 3). Animals that use this cycle, mainly amphibians and mammals, are called ureotelic. The urea cycle converts highly toxic ammonia to urea for excretion. [1]
Urea, also called carbamide, is an organic chemical compound, and is essentially the waste produced by the body after metabolizing protein. Naturally, the compound is produced when the liver breaks down protein or amino acids, and ammonia; the kidneys then transfer the urea from the blood to the urine.