5-aminovalerate (or 5-aminopentanoic acid) is a lysine degradation product. It can be produced both endogenously or through bacterial catabolism of lysine. 5-aminovalerate is formed via the following multi-step reaction: L-lysine leads to cadverine leads to L-piperideine leads 5-aminovalerate . In other words it is a metabolite of cadaverine which is formed via the intermediate, 1-piperideine. Cadaverine is a foul-smelling diamine compound produced by protein hydrolysis during putrefaction of animal tissue. High levels of 5-aminovalerate in biofluids may indicate bacterial overgrowth or endogenous tissue necrosis. In most cases endogenous 5-aminovalerate is thought to be primarily a microbial metabolite produced by the gut or oral microflora, although it can be produced endogenously. 5-aminopentanoic acid is an in vivo substrate of 4-aminobutyrate:2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase .

5-Aminovaleric acid 是人类唾液中的一种正常代谢产物，患有慢性牙周炎的患者中，其浓度倾向于升高。其唾液水平的升高主要是由细菌污染和唾液蛋白的分解引起的。除了作为一种普通的废物产物外，5-Aminovaleric acid 还被认为是γ-氨基丁酸(GABA)的亚甲基同系物，功能为弱GABA激动剂。它还被认为是一种抗纤溶氨基酸类似物，因此它作为血液凝固途径的弱抑制剂。