scholarly journals Utilization in vivo of glucose and volatile fatty acids by sheep brain for the synthesis of acidic amino acids

1966 ◽  
Vol 101 (3) ◽  
pp. 591-597 ◽  
Author(s):  
R M O'Neal ◽  
R E Koeppe ◽  
E I Williams

1. Free glutamic acid, aspartic acid, glutamic acid from glutamine and, in some instances, the glutamic acid from glutathione and the aspartic acid from N-acetyl-aspartic acid were isolated from the brains of sheep and assayed for radioactivity after intravenous injection of [2-(14)C]glucose, [1-(14)C]acetate, [1-(14)C]butyrate or [2-(14)C]propionate. These brain components were also isolated and analysed from rats that had been given [2-(14)C]propionate. The results indicate that, as in rat brain, glucose is by far the best precursor of the free amino acids of sheep brain. 2. Degradation of the glutamate of brain yielded labelling patterns consistent with the proposal that the major route of pyruvate metabolism in brain is via acetyl-CoA, and that the short-chain fatty acids enter the brain without prior metabolism by other tissue and are metabolized in brain via the tricarboxylic acid cycle. 3. When labelled glucose was used as a precursor, glutamate always had a higher specific activity than glutamine; when labelled fatty acids were used, the reverse was true. These findings add support and complexity to the concept of the metabolic; compartmentation' of the free amino acids of brain. 4. The results from experiments with labelled propionate strongly suggest that brain metabolizes propionate via succinate and that this metabolic route may be a limited but important source of dicarboxylic acids in the brain.

1979 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 88-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allan R. Hovis ◽  
Clyde T. Young ◽  
Cedric W. Kuhn

Abstract Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) cultivars (Starr and Florunner) and four peanut introductions (PI 261945, 261946, 261973, and 261980) were each separately inoculated with a mild strain (M2) and with the necrosis strain (N) of peanut mottle virus. The effects of these viral strains on the chemical composition of peanut seed were evaluated. The chemical characteristics varied with the type of viral infection. The greatest effect was on fatty acids and the least on the total amino acids. In general, peanuts infected with the necrosis strain showed: (1) a decrease in the percentages of stearic and oleic acids, while linoleic, arachidic, behenic, and lignoceric acids increased, (2) increases in the levels of the free amino acids glycine, alanine, isoleucine, histidine, lysine, and arginine, and (3) the total amino acids exhibited a slight decrease in aspartic acid and a slight increase in methionine. Peanuts infected with the mild strain generallly showed: (1) a slight increase in linoleic acid, (2) little effect on the free amino acids, and (3) a small increase in tyrosine and a slight decrease in serine and aspartic acid for the total amino acids. No treatment effect was noted on protein content.


1975 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 414-417 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasuyuki Doi ◽  
Akikatsu Kataura

Abstract Free amino acids in the tonsils of 20 individuals were measured column chromatographically. Those always found in readily detectable amounts included O-phosphoserine, taurine, O-phosphoethanolamine, aspartic acid, hydroxyproline, threonine, serine, glutamic acid, proline, glycine, alanine, α-amino-n-butyric acid, valine, cystine, methionine, isoleucine, leucine, tyrosine, phenylalanine, ornithine, γ-amino-butyric acid, lysine, histidine, and arginine. Results were compared for three clinical pathological groups and for four age groups. Some abnormal values may result from the pathological conditions.


1977 ◽  
Vol 32 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 57-b ◽  
Author(s):  
Harald Röper

The defensive secretion of Peripatopsis moseleyi (Onychophora) consists of 84% water and 16% protein and free amino acids. The secretion’s defensive effectiveness is an anti-predator “sticking” action. The secretion is flung out of the oral papillae in liquid state. It is then denaturized by the air and develops increasingly sticky white threads, probably through the devel­opment of disulfide bridges from the protein content. The elastic properties of the secretion threads indicate a micellar structure. The defensive secretion contains no volatile organic components or carbohydrates. This was confirmed by gas- liquid chromatography and thin-layer chromatography. After acidic hydrolysis of the secretion the following amino acids were determined quantita­tively: aspartic acid, threonine, serine, proline, glutamic acid, glycine, alanine, valine, cysteine, methionine, isoleucine, leucine, tyrosine, phenylalanine, lysine, histidine and arginine. A “rare” amino acid was not identified. Tryptophane was not present (basic secretion hydrolysis). The quantita­tive determination of free amino acids, based on the total content, showed the following results: glycine (40.9%), glutamic acid (10.8%), aspartic acid (2.65%), lysine (1.3%). This result shows, that the secretion is stored in a watery glycine/glutaminic acid buffer in the oral papillae of Peripatopsis moseleyi. High voltage paper electrophoreses and gel filtration experiments with dextran and agarose gels showed, that the secretion protein consists of, at least, two fractions with different molecular weight.


1970 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 228-235 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Yoshino ◽  
K. A. C. Elliott

The time course of entry of radioactive carbon from intravenously administered [U-14C]-glucose into free amino acids in the brains of rats has been studied using an automatic amino acid analyzer coupled through a flow cell with a scintillation counter. Radioactivity appeared rapidly in alanine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, glutamine, and γ-aminobutyric acid as previously shown, and in an unknown ninhydrin-positive substance present in very small amount. Urea, serine, and glycine became slightly radioactive. Four hours after giving the radioactive glucose, the specific activity in all soluble substances was low. In pentobarbital anesthesia, specific radioactivity was increased in alanine and decreased in γ-aminobutyric acid, aspartic and glutamic acids, and glutamine. A high proportion of radioactivity remained in glucose. Under hypoxia, alanine increased in amount but decreased in specific activity, and the specific activities of the other strongly labelled amino acids decreased. The proportion of the total radioactivity found in glucose and lactate increased. During picrotoxin and pentylenetetrazol convulsions, changes occurred which were similar to those under hypoxia. After aminooxyacetic acid administration, the well-known great increase in γ-aminobutyric acid level was found to be accompanied by a decrease in glutamate and also in aspartic acid and alanine, indicating inhibition of the three transaminases concerned. The previously observed brief rapid postmortem increase in the amount of γ-aminobutyric acid was confirmed; alanine also increased briefly but no other amino acid did so. The increased γ-aminobutyric acid had the same specific radioactivity as the original but the extra alanine was less radioactive than the original. When the γ-aminobutyric acid level had been increased by administration of aminooxyacetic acid, the rapid postmortem increase did not occur.


1978 ◽  
Vol 24 (10) ◽  
pp. 1236-1241 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. L. Stevenson

One hundred and sixteen freshly isolated rumen bacteria and 10 laboratory strains were studied for the production and excretion of free amino acids during growth in a basal medium containing glucose, cellobiose, and soluble starch as the energy sources, (NH4)2SO4 as the prime nitrogen source, volatile fatty acids, hemin, vitamins, Na2CO3, and cysteine as the reducing agent. Amino acid analyses of 48-h culture fluids of the isolates indicated the presence of alanine, glutamic acid, valine, aspartic acid, glycine, serine, lysine, methionine, leucine, isoleucine, threonine, histidine, arginine, phenylalanine, and tyrosine. Most isolates excreted some free amino acids. Alanine, glutamic acid, valine, aspartic acid, and glycine were found in the greatest concentrations with some isolates accumulating between 50 and 295 μg/ml of one or more of these compounds. Concentrations of the remaining amino acids rarely exceeded 20 μg/ml of culture fluid. Growth studies demonstrated that the amino acids were excreted during active growth of the bacteria and ceased shortly after growth became limited.


1972 ◽  
Vol 70 (2) ◽  
pp. 409-416 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Jaszczak ◽  
E. S. E. Hafez

ABSTRACT Free amino acid content was measured in the uterine fluid and blood serum in the following groups of rabbits 168 h post copulation: intact; intact progesterone-treated; ovariectomized progesterone-treated; ovariectomized progesterone-oestradiol-treated; and ovariectomized without hormonal treatment. At implantation, concentration of the majority of amino acid in uterine fluid exceeded greatly that of blood serum; the difference in concentration being maximal for glycine, taurine, alanine, glutamic acid, aspartic acid, serine and threonine. Glutamine-asparagine and arginine were found in comparable quantities or were even higher in blood serum. Glycine, alanine, taurine, glutamic acid, serine and glutamine-asparagine were found in highest concentration in the uterine fluid. The level of ammonia in uterine fluid was also relatively high. Exogenous progesterone and oestradiol caused significant changes in the concentration of some amino acid. The concentration of glycine, taurine, alanine, serine, glutamic acid, aspartic acid, threonine, ½ cystine and histidine seems to be especially hormonally dependent. The results are discussed in relation to hormonal activity of corpora lutea during early pregnancy, physiological significance of free amino acids in uterine fluid and nourishment of an early embryo.


Author(s):  
Halyna Feshchenko ◽  
Oleksandra Oleshchuk ◽  
Liudmyla Slobodianiuk ◽  
Ivanna Milian

The use of plant raw materials is one of the areas of modern pharmaceutical science in the production of herbal drugs. The genus Epilobium counts more than 200 species, many species of which are used in traditional medicine. Among the Epilobium species, Epilobium angustifolium is one of the well-known medicinal plants which have been used worldwide in habitual medicine. There is insufficient information in the literature on the biologically active substances of Epilobium angustifolium L. The presence of three major polyphenol groups: phenolic acids, flavonoids, and ellagitannins were identified in E. angustifolium extracts. Traditionally, the infusion of leaves of this plant could be useful for headaches, cold and gastrointestinal disorder. The Epilobium angustifolium L. as an insufficiently studied plant is a promising object of study, including amino acids composition. To assess the relationship between the production of primary metabolites and their possible therapeutic properties, we analyzed the amino acid profile of the plant Epilobium angustifolium used in traditional medicine. The study of compounds generated by plants as a result of defense mechanisms permits an understanding of the molecular mechanism involved in their medicinal properties. The aim. Thus, the aim of the study was to conduct an HPLC analysis of the amino acids of E. angustifolium to establish the prospects for the use of the raw materials in medical and pharmaceutical practice. The results of the current study will be used in further breeding programs aimed to obtain an industrial form of E. angustifolium suitable for pharmaceutical and food applications. Materials and methods. The determination of amino acids composition of Epilobium angustifolium was conducted using Agilent 1200 (Agilent Technologies, USA). Results. The HPLC method identified sixteen free amino acids and seventeen bound amino acids in the Epilobium angustifolium herb. The studies have shown that Epilobium angustifolium L. herb is mainly composed of free amino acids such as L-phenylalanine (1.65 µg/mg), L-glutamic acid (1.51 µg/mg), L-arginine (1.24 µg/mg), L-alanine (0.98 µg/mg) and L-aspartic acid (0.57 µg/mg), which were presents in the greatest amount. The dominant bound amino acids in the studied raw material were L-glutamic acid, L-aspartic acid, L-leucine, and L-alanine, the content of which was 32.37 µg/mg, 10.59 µg/mg, 8.70 µg/mg, and 6.22 µg/mg respectively. Conclusions. Using the HPLC method determined the amino acids in the herb of Epilobium angustifolium L. The concentrations of L-aspartic acid, L-glutamic acid, L-arginine, L-alanine and L-phenylalanine are predominate among free and bound amino acids in the Epilobium angustifolium L. herb. The result shows that Epilobium angustifolium L. is the source of amino acids, so the use of this plant raw material for new remedies is possible in the future


1975 ◽  
Vol 53 (12) ◽  
pp. 1244-1251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vittorio Raggi

Free amino acids were analyzed in healthy and rust-infected bean leaves incubated for 180–200 min in light, with 14CO2. In rusted leaves the radioactivity of the pool diminishes gradually to 42% in the flaking stage and the beginning of sporulation and then gradually increases in the following days to values of 197% after the secondary sporulation 11 days from infection. An increase in percentage of total labelling of aspartic acid, glutamic acid, and asparagine was noted, except just before sporulation, but above all, a marked and gradual increase in the labelling of glutamine was observed. This amide is probably assimilated to a greater degree by the fungus for the synthesis of its cell wall glucosamine. Diminution in the labelling of glycine and even more in the labelling of serine would instead be ascribed to the decrease in the photorespiratory activity.


1984 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chintana Oupadissakoon ◽  
Clyde T. Young

Abstract Changes in free amino acids and sugars during oil roasting of peanuts at a temperature of 147C (9–14 min) were investigated. While a majority of the free amino acids decreased as a result of the roasting treatment, glutamic acid and peptide-cysteine showed the largest percent decreases (59.5% and 83.5% respectively). Alanine, isoleucine, phenylalanine, unknown (4)-tyrosine showed only small changes. Typical flavor precursors (the sum of aspartic acid, glutamic acid, peptide, phenylalanine, and histidine) decreased about 57% during roasting while atypical flavor precursors (the sum of threonine, tyrosine, lysine, and arginine) dercreased slightly. The sugar data were variable, but on the average significantly decreased 8%.


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