β-Alanine, a β−amino acid, is a component of pantothenic acid and the rate-limiting amino acid in the biosynthesis of the histidinyl antioxidant dipeptides carnosine and anserine. Endogenous β-amino acid that is a nonselective agonist at glycine receptors and a ligand for the G protein-coupled orphan receptor, TGR7 (MrgD). β-Alanine flux plays a cytoprotective role by supporting the osmotic stability of marine organisms, preimplantation mouse embryos and mammalian cells exposed to hypoxic stress.