Previous investigations showed an impairment of amino acids (AA) metabolism in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). It was hypothesized that excitatory AA may play an important role in the etiopathogenesis of this disease. The aim of the study was to determine plasma AA concentrations in ALS patients, and to examine the relationship between AA and the clinical state of ALS patients, the type of ALS onset and the duration of the disease. The study involved 20 ALS patients and 30 control group people. The AA analysis was performed by ion - exchange chromatography on an automatic AA analyser. The results showed significantly decreased concentrations of valine, isoleucine, leucine, tyrosine and aspartate in the plasma of the whole group of ALS patients compared to the control group, and a significantly decreased concentration of arginine in the patients with a long duration of ALS compared to the patients with a short duration. The clinical state of ALS patients significantly influenced only plasma alanine concentration. Other plasma AA concentrations were not significantly associated with clinical parameters of the disease. Our study confirms that metabolic abnormalities concerning AA exist in ALS patients. However, the normal plasma glutamate concentration observed in this study in the whole group of ALS patients compared to the controls does not exclude that this excitatory AA may play a role in neurodegeneration in ALS.
Depending on the concentration, Mn can exert protective or toxic effect. Potential mechanism for manganese neurotoxicity is manganese-induced oxidative stress. Glutamine supplementation could reduce manganese-induced neurotoxicity and is able to influence the neurotransmission processes. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the long term administration of manganese (alone or in combination with glutamine) in dose and time dependent manner could affect the selected parameters of oxidative-antioxidative status (superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities, concentrations of vitamin C and malonic dialdehyde) and concentrations of excitatory (Asp, Glu) and inhibitory amino acids (GABA, Gly) in the brain of rats. The experiments were carried out on 2-months-old albino male rats randomly divided into 6 group: Mn300 and Mn500—received solution of MnCl2 to drink (dose 300 and 500 mg/L, respectively), Gln group—solution of glutamine (4 g/L), Mn300-Gln and Mn500-Gln groups—solution of Mn at 300 and 500 mg/L and Gln at 4 g/L dose. The control group (C) received deionized water. Half of the animals were euthanized after three and the other half—after 6 weeks of experiment. The exposure of rats to Mn in drinking water contributes to diminishing of the antioxidant enzymes activity and the increase in level of lipid peroxidation. Glutamine in the diet admittedly increases SOD and GPx activity, but it is unable to restore the intracellular redox balance. The most significant differences in the examined amino acids levels in comparison to both control and Gln group were observed in the group of rats receiving Mn at 500 mg/L dose alone or with Gln. It seems that Gln is amino acid which could improve antioxidant status and affect the concentrations of the neurotransmitters.
The aim of the study was to examine plasma amino acids (AA) percentages in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients. Altered metabolism of AA, especially excitatory AA in ALS, has been reported. The investigation was conducted at the Department of Neurology, University School of Medicine in Lublin. The study comprised 50 patients; 20 persons with ALS and 30 controls. Plasma AA were measured by automated ion-exchange chromatography. The results show significantly lower percentages of plasma tyrosine, valine, methionine, leucine, and isoleucine and significantly higher percentages of plasma glutamine and serine in ALS than in controls. The clinical state significantly influenced the percentage of plasma phenylalanine and alanine. Our study shows significant changes in some plasma AA percentages in ALS; however, excitatory AA percentages did not differ from the control subjects.
Sexual dimorphism of growth and development of organs and tissues in poultry species results from differentiated endocrine system and metabolic processes rate, and leads to difference of skeletal muscles mass and final body weight. Our knowledge on physiological variation in free amino acid status of skeletal muscles in meat-type turkeys is strongly limited. The aim of the study was to determine sex-related differences of free amino acid concentration in breast muscles obtained from turkeys at the age of 20 weeks. The experiment was performed with 34 birds divided into two equal groups consisting of females and males. During whole period of the breeding cycle all birds were kept under identical environmental conditions and had free access to fresh water and feed supplied in accordance to their growth stage. At the age of 20 weeks of life, final body weights of birds were measured and breast muscle samples were obtained. To evaluate free amino acid concentrations in breast muscles, the samples were analyzed with the use of ion-exchange chromatography. Statistical comparison of amino acid concentration in breast muscles of females and males was performed using non-paired Student's t-test. Final body weight was 27.6% higher in male than in female turkeys. Skeletal muscle concentration of glutamine, tryptophan, serine and asparagine was found to be significantly higher in males than in females, while opposite results were obtained analyzing cysteic acid, taurine and valine. In conclusion this study revealed sex-differentiated final body weight and skeletal muscle amino acid concentrations in turkeys. Improved skeletal muscle metabolism of functional amino acids glutamine and tryptophan in males may be postulated as crucial factors responsible for their higher growth rate and final body weight when compared to females. The obtained results may serve to optimizing feed for turkeys and their systemic development.
Objectives. Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN) is necessary in patients unable to receive oral or enteral feeding for a period of at least 7 days. branched-chain amino acids (bcaa): valine (Val), leucine (Leu), and isoleucine (Ile) are essential amino acids, which are important regulators in protein metabolism. They are also the main nitrogen source for glutamine synthesis in muscles. In this process they undergo irreversible degradation and cannot be reutilised for protein synthesis. In catabolic states, like cancers, glutamine demand increases and therefore also its utilisation, which can decrease the level of bcaa required for Gln synthesis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the necessity of bcaa or glutamine-enriched TPN in patients after gastrointestinal cancers surgery. Material and Methods. Our aim was to investigate changes of plasma bcaa and glutamine concentrations in patients operated for colorectal, small intestine or pancreatic cancer and who are either receiving TPN or not in the postoperative period. free amino acids plasma concentrations were determined by the ion-exchange chromatography. Results. Surgery in the control group caused a decrease in Val, Ile and Leu concentrations in the postoperative period. In TPN patients this depression was inhibited beginning from the third day after surgery, except for Val and Leu in colorectal cancer group. In control and TPN patient groups, Gln concentration decreased after the surgery and subsequently increased beginning from the third day after the operation. ORIGINaL PaPeRS © copyright by Wroclaw Medical University a decrease in body mass and malnutrition are the most frequently appearing symptoms observed in gastrointestinal (GI) cancer patients with prolonged catabolic stress, and in over 60% of patients malnutrition increases with the progress of the disease. In the majority of untreated cancer patients, cachexia is observed, but the frequency of cachexia occurrence is dependent on the tumour type. as distinct from starvation, age-related loss of muscle mass, primary depression, malabsorption, and hyperthyroidism, cancerous cachexia is associated with increased morbidity [1,2]. Recent studies have shown positive effects of nutritional support in the postoperative period such as: improved protein balance, improved immune response, reduced morbidity and reduced length of hospitalization after operation [3,4].Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN) is necessary in patients, in which postoperative complications caused an impairment in the gastrointestinal function and therefore are unable to receive and absorb oral or enteral feeding for a period longer
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