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Natural Home Cures Since 2004

Freeze-dried botanicals grown on our own farms.

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NATURAL HOME CURES · NOPAL SCIENCE

Proline
& Nopal

An amino acid with a distinctive shape and a close connection to collagen.

Explore the science
Conceptual illustration of collagen-like structural protein fibers
PROLINE · COLLAGEN · STRUCTUREShape matters
in collagen.

Proline is one of the building blocks your body uses to make proteins. It is especially common in collagen, a protein that helps give structure to skin, bones and connective tissues.(1)

Your body normally makes proline, so it is classed as a nonessential amino acid. You also get it from food.(2)

What Does Proline Do?

PROLINE & COLLAGEN

Structure begins with shape

Proline and hydroxyproline help collagen maintain the form it needs as a structural protein.

Proline helps give collagen the shape it needs to function as a structural protein.(3)

As collagen develops, enzymes modify some of its proline units into hydroxyproline. This modified form helps stabilize collagen’s structure.(4)

Building and maintaining tissues requires many nutrients working together. Proline is one part of that process.

Where Does Proline Come From?

Proline occurs naturally in many foods containing protein, including:

  • Roasted chicken
    Meat and poultry
  • A serving of fish
    Fish
  • Eggs
    Eggs
  • Milk and dairy foods
    Milk and dairy products
  • Lentils and chickpeas
    Beans, lentils and soy foods
  • Nuts and seeds
    Nuts and seeds
  • Whole grains
    Whole grains
  • Leafy green vegetables
    Leafy vegetables
  • Cleaned Nopal cactus pads and sliced nopales
    Nopal cactus pads

Foods containing collagen or gelatin can be particularly rich sources of proline, although amounts vary considerably between foods.(5)

How Much Proline Is in Nopal?

Fresh Nopal pads and prepared nopales
NATURALLY OCCURRING PROLINE · RAW NOPALESAbout 43 mgper 100 g of raw edible cactus pads

USDA FoodData Central · “Nopales, raw”

The USDA entry lists 0.043 grams of proline per 100 grams of raw nopales, equal to 43 milligrams. This provides context for the amount in fresh cactus pads.(9)

Researchers have identified proline among the naturally occurring amino acids in Nopal cactus.(6)

Nopal also contains fiber, vitamins, minerals, pigments and other plant compounds.(6), (7)

These findings describe the plant’s composition. They do not establish the proline amount in a serving of our finished products.

Why Proline Is Interesting

A DISTINCTIVE AMINO ACID

Bends & turns

Proline’s ring structure influences the shapes that proteins can adopt.

Proline has a ring-shaped structure that influences how protein chains bend and fold.(8)

A protein’s shape helps determine how it works. Proline’s distinctive structure is particularly important in collagen.(3), (8)

From Our Farms to Your Bottle

Botanical illustration of Nopal cactus

Our Nopal capsule story begins on our mountain farms in Mexico, where Opuntia streptacantha grows at about 8,200 feet in rich volcanic soil. Sunlight, temperature, and rainfall shape the living cactus.

We stay involved from growing through harvest and preparation of the capsules. This growing environment is part of the story behind each amino acid discussed here.

One More Piece of the Nopal Story

Proline is one part of Nopal’s wider nutritional picture. Explore the other science articles to learn about the cactus’s fiber, vitamins, minerals and other plant compounds.

Natural Home Cures products from left to right: Nopal cactus capsules, prickly pear drops, and Nopal cactus powder

FROM CACTUS TO PRODUCT

Meet Our Nopal Cactus & Prickly Pear Family

Nopal cactus capsules, prickly pear drops, and Nopal cactus powder.

Explore Nopal Cactus →
The research behind this article

Source References

9 sources Show referencesHide references
  1. 01
    Source referencePhysiology, Proteins.

    LaPelusa A, Kaushik R. StatPearls. National Center for Biotechnology Information.

    Full citation
    LaPelusa A, Kaushik R. “Physiology, Proteins.” StatPearls. National Center for Biotechnology Information.
    View source
  2. 02
    Source referenceAmino Acids: Metabolism, Functions, and Nutrition.

    Wu G. Amino Acids. 2009;37:1–17.

    Full citation
    Wu G. “Amino Acids: Metabolism, Functions, and Nutrition.” Amino Acids. 2009;37:1–17.
    View source
  3. 03
    Source referenceCollagen Structure and Stability.

    Shoulders MD, Raines RT. Annual Review of Biochemistry. 2009;78:929–958.

    Full citation
    Shoulders MD, Raines RT. “Collagen Structure and Stability.” Annual Review of Biochemistry. 2009;78:929–958.
    View source
  4. 04
    Source referenceProlyl 4-Hydroxylase.

    Gorres KL, Raines RT. Critical Reviews in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. 2010;45(2):106–124.

    Full citation
    Gorres KL, Raines RT. “Prolyl 4-Hydroxylase.” Critical Reviews in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. 2010;45(2):106–124.
    View source
  5. 05
    Source referenceU.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central.
    Full citation
    U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central.
    View source
  6. 06
    Source referenceNopal Cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica) as a Source of Bioactive Compounds for Nutrition, Health and Disease.

    El-Mostafa K, El Kharrassi Y, Badreddine A, et al. Molecules. 2014;19(9):14879–14901.

    Full citation
    El-Mostafa K, El Kharrassi Y, Badreddine A, et al. “Nopal Cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica) as a Source of Bioactive Compounds for Nutrition, Health and Disease.” Molecules. 2014;19(9):14879–14901.
    View source
  7. 07
    Source referenceCactus Stems (Opuntia spp.): A Review on Their Chemistry, Technology, and Uses.

    Stintzing FC, Carle R. Molecular Nutrition & Food Research. 2005;49(2):175–194.

    Full citation
    Stintzing FC, Carle R. “Cactus Stems (Opuntia spp.): A Review on Their Chemistry, Technology, and Uses.” Molecular Nutrition & Food Research. 2005;49(2):175–194.
    View source
  8. 08
    Source referenceProline: The Distribution, Frequency, Positioning, and Common Functional Roles of Proline and Polyproline Sequences in the Human Proteome.

    Morgan AA, Rubenstein E. PLoS ONE. 2013;8(1):e53785.

    Full citation
    Morgan AA, Rubenstein E. “Proline: The Distribution, Frequency, Positioning, and Common Functional Roles of Proline and Polyproline Sequences in the Human Proteome.” PLoS ONE. 2013;8(1):e53785.
    View source
  9. 09
    USDA food composition referenceNopales, raw.

    U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central. FDC ID 168571; SR Legacy, NDB 11963.

    Full citation
    U.S. Department of Agriculture. FoodData Central. “Nopales, raw.” FDC ID 168571; SR Legacy. Proline: 0.043 g per 100 g of raw edible food, equivalent to 43 mg. General raw-food composition; not a finished-product assay.
    View source