Significance of Glutamic Acid for the Metabolism of Nervous Tissue

The Effect of Sodium Glutamate on Hepatic Coma 12

“…Three possibilities exist as discussed by Weil-Malherbe (8). Because glutamate is necessary for maintenance of potassium gradients in guinea pig brain slices (32) one might wonder whether this action as well as the shown blood "ammonia" lowering effect produced mental improvement.…”

“…Because glutamate is necessary for maintenance of potassium gradients in guinea pig brain slices (32) one might wonder whether this action as well as the shown blood "ammonia" lowering effect produced mental improvement. A third effect of glutamic acid is to produce an adrenergic response (8). Whether this effect would account for improvement in hepatic coma is not known although some believe it is responsible for the favorable action of glutamate in insulin coma.…”

“…Glutamic acid is used more than any other amino acid in brain energy metabolism, and has been reported to improve insulin coma in psychotic patients (7,8). Walshe first used glutamic acid in the treatment of hepatic coma with encouraging results (9).…”

“…Invest., 1954, 33, 971). 8 Whether free ammonium exists in shed blood or forms after shedding is argued. If it does exist it is present as ammonium ion.…”

Diminished Phenylketonuria in Phenylpyruvic Oligophrenia After Administration of L-Glutamine, L-Glutamate or L-Asparagine1

“…The significance of glutamine and glutamic acid in brain metabolism has been emphasized by a number of investigations (26,27), and these amino acids are also known to be widely distributed in other animal tissues; glutamine is a prominent constituent of human blood accounting for about one-fifth of the total amino nitrogen. The increased excretion of phenylacetylglutamine in phenylpyruvic oligo- 3 It has been found that the tyrosinase activity of mushrooms is competitively inhibited by high concentrations of phenylalanine (22); this observation suggests a mechanism for the possible toxicity of phenylalanine.…”