Polyamines: Bio-Molecules with Diverse Functions in Plant and Human Health and Disease

Abstract

Biogenic amines—polyamines (PAs), particularly putrescine, spermidine and spermine are ubiquitous in all living cells. Their indispensable roles in many biochemical and physiological processes are becoming commonly known, including promoters of plant life and differential roles in human health and disease. PAs positively impact cellular functions in plants—exemplified by increasing longevity, reviving physiological memory, enhancing carbon and nitrogen resource allocation/signaling, as well as in plant development and responses to extreme environments. Thus, one or more PAs are commonly found in genomic and metabolomics studies using plants, particulary during different abiotic stresses. In humans, a general decline in PA levels with aging occurs parallel with some human health disorders. Also, high PA dose is detrimental to patients suffering from cancer, aging, innate immunity and cognitive impairment during Alzheimer and Parkinson diseases. A dichotomy exists in that while PAs may increase longevity and reduce some age-associated cardiovascular diseases, in disease conditions involving higher cellular proliferation, their intake has negative consequences. Thus, it is essential that PA levels be rigorously quantified in edible plant sources as well as in dietary meats. Such a database can be a guide for medical experts in order to recommend which foods/meats a patient may consume and which ones to avoid. Accordingly, designing both high and low polyamine diets for human consumption are in vogue, particularly in medical conditions where PA intake may be detrimental, for instance, cancer patients. In this review, literature data has been collated for the levels of the three main PAs, putrescine, spermidine and spermine, in different edible sources—vegetables, fruits, cereals, nuts, meat, sea food, cheese, milk, and eggs. Based on our analysis of vast literature, the effects of PAs in human/animal health fall into two broad, Yang and Yin, categories: beneficial for the physiological processes in healthy cells and detrimental under pathological conditions.

<p>Smokers with COPD Show a Shift in Energy and Nitrogen Metabolism at Rest and During Exercise</p>

“…36 We saw higher levels of spermidine, a product of ORN that plays a role in the regulation of cell proliferation and nucleic acid synthesis. 37,38 Previous studies report higher levels of ARG in muscles of COPD patients, but not in arterial blood. 12,13 In stable patients with moderate-to-severe COPD, endogenous ARG and CIT production is upregulated but no difference in whole body NO production was detectable (ARG-to-CIT flux).…”

Endogenous and food-derived polyamines: determination by electrochemical sensing

“…The most common PAs in plants are represented by PUT, SPD and SPM, all implicated in many biological processes, such as cell division, cell elongation, embryogenesis, root formation, floral and fruit development and ripening, pollen tube growth and senescence, and in the response to biotic and abiotic stresses (Osorio and Fernie 2013;Handa et al 2018). Different studies demonstrated that PUT, CAD, SPM and SPD are practically ubiquitous in all vegetables and fruits at concentrations around few mg/100 g fresh weight (Liu et al 2006;Moret et al 2005;Torrigiani et al 2008;Valero et al 2002).…”

“…PAs are crucial metabolites for normal cell life and a lot of research work has been carried out to elucidate their role in cell physiology and disease (Handa et al 2018;Ramani et al 2014;Igarashi and Kashiwagi 2010;Wortham et al 2007).…”

“…Polyamines (PAs) are an essential group of metabolites found in all living organisms and involved in many physiological functions, including promoters of plant life and with differential roles in human health and disease, as recently excellently reviewed (Handa et al 2018). The research history of these compounds begun in 1674 when van Leeuwenhoek observed spermine crystals in semen samples with a rudimental microscope (Bachrach 2010).…”

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in andrological practice

“…Роль спермина, который образуется из спермидина, сводится, как полагают, к участию в процессах метаболизма, освобождению клеток от продуктов жизнедеятельности, что способствует их обновлению и регенерации. Концентрация спермина в клетках уменьшается по мере старения организма [35,36]. Таким образом, жирные кислоты в частности и липиды в целом играют важнейшую физиологическую роль в нормальном метаболизме предстательной железы, поэтому нарушения липидного баланса могут приводить к ее различным заболеваниям [37].…”