Intracellular free amino acid patterns in duodenal and colonic mucosa

We report for the first time the concentrations of free amino acids in human intestinal biopsies obtained by routinely performed endoscopy. We studied 15 medical patients with no changes of the mucosa and six HIV-infected persons with duodenitis. The mean (and SD) sum of all amino acids, taurine excepted, was 61.9 (5.4) mmol/kg dry weight in duodenal biopsies of HIV-negative subjects (n = 11) and 82.9 (0.6) mmol/kg in colonic specimens: 50% (44%) of the total (minus taurine) consisted of aspartate and glutamate and 14% (12%), of the essential amino acids. The relative amino acid pattern in duodenum and colon differed completely from that for muscle: aspartate was fourfold higher; glutamate, phenylalanine, glycine, valine, leucine, and isoleucine were about twofold higher. In contrast, glutamine amounted only to 4% (duodenum) to 14% (colon) of muscle glutamine. In duodenal biopsies of the HIV-infected persons, we found significantly (P less than 0.01, except glutamine: P less than 0.025) increased concentrations of glutamate (24.1 vs 17 mmol/kg dry weight), ornithine (1.4 vs 0.4), valine (2.2 vs 1.7), and glutamine.