[Effect of limited motor activity on the alanine level of human blood plasma]

The plasma alanine concentration was measured in 28 healthy male test subjects exposed to head-down tilt of various duration (2-hour exposure at-12 degrees, 7-day exposure at-6 degrees, 49-day exposure at-4 degrees, and 120-day exposure at-4 degrees). Head-down tilt led to alanine changes that correlated with exposure time. These results suggest that alanine concentrations in blood reflect to a certain extent the rate of hepatic gluconeogenesis and depend significantly on the hypokinetic time. The findings can be clinically used as a measure of hepatic gluconeogenesis in bed-ridden patients that may require preventive or therapeutic treatment.