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Assessment of Glutamine as a Fuel Source for Alveolar Macrophages Exposed to Chronic Ethanol Using an Extracellular Flux Bioanalyzer
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Nonnutritive effects of glutamine.
1Surgical Research Laboratories, Medical University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria. erich.roth@meduniwien.ac.at
The Journal of Nutrition
|September 23, 2008
Summary
Glutamine, the most abundant amino acid, plays a key role in immune function and cell modulation. Supplementation supports glucose metabolism and can be safely administered in clinical settings.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Immunology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Glutamine is the most abundant free amino acid in the human body.
- It serves as a protein constituent and is crucial for amino acid transamination.
- Glutamine possesses regulatory functions in immune and cell modulation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the multifaceted roles of glutamine in human physiology.
- To investigate glutamine's impact on immune cells, glucose metabolism, and molecular pathways.
- To review the clinical applications and safety of glutamine supplementation.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on glutamine's biological functions.
- Analysis of glutamine's effects on lymphocyte proliferation, monocyte activation markers, cytokine production, and apoptosis.
- Examination of glutamine's influence on glucose metabolism in insulin resistance.
- Investigation of glutamine's molecular mechanisms, including heat shock protein 70 induction, glutathione synthesis, and mitogen-activated protein kinase activation.
- Assessment of clinical applications and safety data for glutamine supplementation.
Main Results:
- Glutamine deprivation negatively impacts lymphocytes and monocytes, affecting proliferation, activation markers, cytokine production, and apoptosis.
- Glutamine administration shows potential benefits for glucose metabolism in insulin-resistant states.
- Glutamine influences key molecular pathways, including heat shock protein 70 and glutathione formation, impacting cellular redox potential and anabolic effects.
- Clinical use of glutamine as a supplement (oral, parenteral, enteral) is established for preventing mucositis/stomatitis and addressing glutamine deficiency in critically ill patients.
- High doses of glutamine (up to 30 g daily) are generally well-tolerated with no significant side effects due to its high turnover rate.
Conclusions:
- Glutamine is a vital amino acid with significant regulatory roles in immunity and cellular processes.
- Glutamine supplementation holds promise for metabolic health and clinical management of specific conditions.
- The safety profile of glutamine allows for its therapeutic use in various clinical scenarios.
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