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Related Experiment Videos

Urinary desmosine, elastolysis, and lung disease.

V Pai1, A Guz, G J Phillips

  • 1Department of Medicine, Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School, London, England.

Metabolism: Clinical and Experimental
|February 1, 1991
PubMed
Summary

Urinary desmosine (UD) levels show significant variation, influenced by gender and diet. Dietary desmosine contributes minimally to urinary levels, suggesting other factors are key in measuring elastin degradation.

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Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Physiology
  • Medical Research

Background:

  • Desmosine is a unique amino acid found in elastin.
  • Urinary desmosine (UD) is proposed as a marker for endogenous elastin degradation.
  • Previous studies found no elevation of UD in chronic obstructive airways disease (COAD), despite its suspected role in the condition.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate day-to-day and between-subject variability in urinary desmosine.
  • To determine the contribution of dietary desmosine to urinary levels in humans.
  • To assess the utility of UD as a marker for elastolysis in COAD.

Main Methods:

  • Collected 24-hour urine samples over 5 consecutive days from 10 asymptomatic subjects.
  • Measured urinary desmosine and creatinine levels.

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  • Administered radiolabeled desmosine and elastin to assess dietary contribution.
  • Compared UD excretion on normal and low-elastin diets.

    • Main Results:

    • Mean 24-hour UD output was significantly higher in males than females.
    • Gender-specific analysis minimized between-subject variation in UD.
    • Dietary desmosine accounted for approximately 15% of urinary desmosine on a normal diet.
    • Reducing dietary desmosine intake lowered within-subject variation but did not affect between-subject variation or overall UD levels.

    Conclusions:

    • Urinary desmosine excretion exhibits considerable variability, influenced by gender.
    • Dietary intake has a modest impact on urinary desmosine levels.
    • Further research is needed to understand the factors contributing to UD variability and its role in diseases like COAD.