Hyperphenylalaninemia: the effect on cerebral amino acid levels during development

1969 ◽  
Vol 47 (9) ◽  
pp. 883-888 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. Lowden ◽  
M. A. LaRamée

The subcutaneous administration of phenylalanine to adult or 20-day-old rats produces a 20- to 25-fold rise in cerebral phenylalanine with only a two- to five-fold rise in tyrosine.The branched-chain amino acids decrease in the brains of these animals but levels of nonessential amino acids are unchanged.In 10-day-old rats subcutaneous phenylalanine administration produces a greater increase in cerebral phenylalanine and tyrosine and has less effect on the branched-chain amino acids, but causes marked decreases in nonessential amino acids. The findings suggest that the permanent defect in myelin formation produced by hyperphenylalaninemia in the newborn rat may be related to altered intermediary metabolism resulting from the fall in nonessential amino acids.

1981 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Eriksson ◽  
L. Hagenfeldt ◽  
J. Wahren

1., Intravenous infusions of l-valine (600 μmol/min), l-isoleucine (150 μmol/min), l-leucine (300 μmol/min) and a mixture of the three branched-chain amino acids (70% l-leucine, 20% l-valine, 10% l-isoleucine; 270 μmol/min) were given to four groups of healthy volunteer subjects. Whole-blood concentrations of amino acids and glucose and serum insulin were measured before and during the infusions. 2. Valine and isoleucine infusions resulted in twelve- and six-fold increases in the respective amino acid. During valine infusion, tyrosine was the only amino acid for which a decrease in concentration was seen (25%, P < 0.05). With isoleucine administration, no significant changes were found. In contrast, leucine infusion (during which the leucine concentration rose about sixfold) was accompanied by significant decreases in tyrosine (35%), phenylalanine (35%), methionine (50%), valine (40%) and isoleucine (55%). The arterial glucose concentration fell slightly (5%) and the insulin concentration increased 20% during leucine infusion. 3. Infusion of the mixture of the three branched-chain amino acids resulted in marked decreases in tyrosine (50%), phenylalanine (50%) and methionine (35%). The decreased amino acid levels remained low for 2 h after the end of the infusion. 4. The present findings demonstrate that intravenous infusion of leucine (not infusion of valine or isoleucine) results in marked reductions in the concentrations of the aromatic amino acids and methionine. Infusion of a mixture of the three branched-chain amino acids gives results similar to those obtained with leucine infusion alone. Thus a mixed branched-chain amino acid solution with leucine as its main constituent seems to be the best alternative in the treatment of patients with hepatic cirrhosis and encephalopathy.


1986 ◽  
Vol 250 (6) ◽  
pp. E686-E694 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Ferrannini ◽  
E. J. Barrett ◽  
S. Bevilacqua ◽  
R. Jacob ◽  
M. Walesky ◽  
...  

Raised plasma free fatty acid (FFA) levels effectively impede glucose uptake in vivo, thereby conserving plasma glucose and sparing glycogen. To test whether FFA have any effect on blood amino acid levels, we infused Intralipid plus heparin or saline into healthy volunteers under four different experimental conditions: A) overnight fast; B) euglycemic hyperinsulinemia (approximately 100 microU/ml); C) hyperglycemic (approximately 200 mg/100 ml) hyperinsulinemia (approximately 50 microU/ml); and D) hyperglycemic (approximately 300 mg/100 ml) normoinsulinemia (approximately 20 microU/ml). In the fasting state (A), lipid infusion was associated with lower blood levels of most amino acids, both branched chain and glucogenic. This effect, however, could not be ascribed to lipid infusion alone, because plasma insulin levels were also stimulated. The clamp studies (B, C, and D) allowed to assess the influence of lipid on blood amino acid levels at similar plasma insulin and glucose levels. It was thus observed that lipid infusion has a significant hypoaminoacidemic effect of its own under both euglycemic (B) and hyperglycemic (C) conditions; this effect involved many glucogenic amino acids (alanine, glycine, phenylalanine, serine, threonine, and cystine) but none of the branched-chain amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, and valine). In marked contrast, normoinsulinemic hyperglycemia (D), with or without lipid infusion, caused no change in the blood level of any measured amino acid. We conclude that lipid infusion has a hypoaminoacidemic action. We also suggest that this action is permitted by insulin and may involve specific metabolic interactions (e.g., reduced availability of glucose-derived pyruvate or glycerophosphate) as well as enhanced uptake by the liver.


1986 ◽  
Vol 32 (11) ◽  
pp. 2077-2079 ◽  
Author(s):  
V M Prabhakaran ◽  
S Pujara ◽  
A J Mills ◽  
V W Whalen

Abstract The following nutritional criteria were evaluated for their usefulness in predicting outcome in a prospective study of 66 randomly selected hospitalized patients with a variety of diagnoses: total protein, albumin, and transferrin concentrations in serum, creatinine height index, weight height index, phenylalanine/tyrosine ratio (Phe/Tyr), concentration of branched-chain amino acids in serum, and ratio of essential to nonessential amino acids in serum. The cases were followed from admission to discharge, and were classified into the following three groups: 43 "well"; 14 with "complications" but recovered; and nine "dead". Statistical analysis (Scheffe's s-test) demonstrated the means of "well" and "dead" groups to be different for total protein, albumin, transferrin, and Phe/Tyr. In individual patients the nutritional criteria, even for those with fatal outcome, were poor indicators of outcome. These nutritional criteria are useful in identifying hospitalized groups that are at maximum risk (i.e., death), but are much less useful for individual patients.


1986 ◽  
Vol 250 (4) ◽  
pp. E407-E413 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. A. Gelfand ◽  
M. G. Glickman ◽  
R. Jacob ◽  
R. S. Sherwin ◽  
R. A. DeFronzo

To compare the contributions of splanchnic and skeletal muscle tissues to the disposal of intravenously administered amino acids, regional amino acid exchange was measured across the splanchnic bed and leg in 11 normal volunteers. Postabsorptively, net release of amino acids by leg (largely alanine and glutamine) was complemented by the net splanchnic uptake of amino acids. Amino acid infusion via peripheral vein (0.2 g X kg-1 X h-1) caused a doubling of plasma insulin and glucagon levels and a threefold rise in blood amino acid concentrations. Both splanchnic and leg tissues showed significant uptake of infused amino acids. Splanchnic tissues accounted for approximately 70% of the total body amino acid nitrogen disposal; splanchnic uptake was greatest for the glucogenic amino acids but also included significant quantities of branched-chain amino acids. In contrast, leg amino acid uptake was dominated by the branched-chain amino acids. Based on the measured leg balance, body skeletal muscle was estimated to remove approximately 25-30% of the total infused amino acid load and approximately 65-70% of the infused branched-chain amino acids. Amino acid infusion significantly stimulated both the leg efflux and the splanchnic uptake of glutamine (not contained in the infusate). We conclude that when amino acids are infused peripherally in normal humans, splanchnic viscera (liver and gut) are the major sites of amino acid disposal.


1983 ◽  
Vol 244 (2) ◽  
pp. E151-E158 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. T. Brosnan ◽  
K. C. Man ◽  
D. E. Hall ◽  
S. A. Colbourne ◽  
M. E. Brosnan

Amino acid concentrations in whole blood, liver, kidney, skeletal muscle, and brain were measured and arteriovenous differences calculated for head, hindlimb, kidney, gut, and liver in control and streptozotocin-diabetic rats. In the control rats, glutamine was released by muscle and utilized by intestine, intestine released citrulline and alanine, liver removed alanine, and the kidneys removed glycine and produced serine. In diabetic rats, the major changes from the pattern of fluxes seen in the normal rat were the release of many amino acids from muscle, with glutamine and alanine predominating, and the uptake of these amino acids by the liver. Glutamine removal by the intestine was suppressed in diabetes, but a large renal uptake of glutamine was evident. Branched-chain amino acids were removed by the diabetic brain, and consequently, brain levels of a number of large neutral amino acids were decreased in diabetes.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Karin Shimada ◽  
Isao Matsui ◽  
Kazunori Inoue ◽  
Ayumi Matsumoto ◽  
Seiichi Yasuda ◽  
...  

Abstract Dietary phosphate intake is closely correlated with protein intake. However, the effects of the latter on phosphate-induced organ injuries remain uncertain. Herein, we investigated the effects of low (10.8%), moderate (23.0%), and high (35.2%) dietary casein and egg albumin administration on phosphate-induced organ injuries in rats. The moderate and high casein levels suppressed renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis and maintained mitochondrial integrity in the kidney. The serum creatinine levels were suppressed only in the high casein group. Phosphate-induced muscle weakness was also ameliorated by high dietary casein. The urinary and fecal phosphate levels in the early experiment stage showed that dietary casein did not affect phosphate absorption from the intestine. High dietary egg albumin showed similar kidney protective effects, while the egg albumin effects on muscle weakness were only marginally significant. As the plasma branched-chain amino acid levels were elevated in casein- and egg albumin-fed rats, we analyzed their effects. Dietary supplementation of 10% branched-chain amino acids suppressed phosphate-induced kidney injury and muscle weakness. Although dietary protein restriction is recommended in cases of chronic kidney disease, our findings indicate that the dietary casein, egg albumin, and branched-chain amino acid effects might be reconsidered in the era of a phosphate-enriched diet.


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