Decrease in plasma tryptophan after tryptophan-free amino acid mixtures in man

Male healthy subjects, fasting 12 hours, ingested increasing amounts of a mixture containing a fixed proportion of seven essential amino acids (L-isoleucine 11.5%, L-leucine 18.0%, L-lysine 13.1%, L-methionine 18.0%, L-phenylalanine 18.0%, L-threonine 8.2%, L-valine 13.1%) and lacking tryptophan. The diets produced a rapid fall in plasma tryptophan which was proportional to the total amount of the amino acids ingested. Following the highest dose administered (36.6 g) plasma tryptophan fell to a minimum of about 35% the initial level and remained markedly reduced at 6 hours after treatment. The mechanism of this decrease and its potential clinical relevance are discussed.