[Pharmacological mechanisms and effects of amino acid nutrients]

Common amino acid nutrients mainly contain glutamine, arginine, leucine, methionine and cysteine, which are not only the components participating in body protein synthesis, but also regulate the patients' immune system and metabolism. Glutamine can improve the intestinal barrier, reduce inflammatory reaction, and promote immunity recovery, but the clinical effects of different patients with different diseases are still lack of clear conclusions. The catabolism of arginine can produce NO, promoting the inflammatory reaction, and can also generate ornithine, alleviating inflammatory reaction and promoting wound healing. Two competing ways coexist, but the specific effects on different diseases have no clear conclusions yet. Leucine promotes muscle protein synthesis mainly through mTOR pathway, however, the influence on metabolism is still debating. Sulfur-containing amino acids methionine and cysteine can promote the synthesis of connective tissue and collagen conducive to wound healing, and their beneficial effects on lipid metabolism are of value. The purpose of this review is to cover potential beneficial physiological mechanisms of amino acid nutrients, to describe their results of clinical applications and to evaluate the interactions among individual nutrients or between individual nutrients and body.