Kali Asparaginicum – Potassium Asparate

The attenuations are prepared from the mono potassium salt of L-Aspartic acid, C₄H₆NO₄K, MW: 171.2.

The potassium salts have important biological functions to fulfil in the body, as- partic acid serving as a coupling factor to potassium through salt-formation and showing an especial affinity for important intermediate conversions.

Obviously asparagine (and glutamine) are given the function of recapturing the ni- trogens proceeding from the breakdown of albumen for the plant (Leuthardt.) In the intermediate metabolism, aspartic acid is known to be a sugarformer, a so-called glucoplastic amino-acid. Aspartic acid is also involved in the synthesis of urine, of purine and pyrimidine, and in nitrogen-fixation, which depends on the presence of minute quantities of molybdenum, insofar as the intermediate product, oximinosuc- cinic acid, is further reduced to to aspartic acid.

Aspartic acid, moreover, is a nitrogen-donor in the transformation of citrulline into arginine, from which the significance for the synthesis of urine becomes appar- ent.

By Clostridium Welchii, aspartic acid can be decarboxylated, and transformed into α-alanine.

Since potassium salts perform an important function of the so-called “sodium

pump” in the cell-membrane, the combination with aspartic acid, intermediately ex- tremely active as it is, appears especially noteworthy for influencing intra-cellular enzyme-mechanisms. Thus Kali Asparaginicum is generally used primarily in preparations which are aimed at stabilising or regenerating the enzyme-functions.