Protein-Amino Acid Metabolism Disarrangements: The Hidden Enemy of Chronic Age-Related Conditions
Abstract
:1. Metabolism of Proteins and Amino Acids: Essential Cellular Blocks
2. The Pathogenesis of Protein Disarrangement: The Hypermetabolic Syndrome
3. Clinical Impact of Protein Disarrangements
4. Clinical Steps to Evaluate Protein Disarrangement
4.1. Circulating Visceral Proteins
4.2. Nitrogen Balance
4.3. 3-Methylistidine
4.4. Blood Lymphocyte Count
5. Possible Therapeutic Interventions
6. Conclusions
- Proteins are building blocks for living organisms consisting of amino acids (AAs).
- AAs are totipotent biochemical molecules essential for cellular activity.
- Pathological conditions increase protein/AA demand.
- Hypercatabolic syndromes, due to increased inflammation and catabolic hormones, cause significant changes in body metabolism and lead to an imbalance between nutritional input and synthetic/energy needs.
- Both circulating (i.e., albumin) and muscle proteins are a reservoir of AAs (above all, essential AAs) within the body.
- Altered protein metabolism in patients (especially those with chronic diseases and/or older), can increase the risk of developing life-threatening complications (e.g., infection, cardiac and/or renal dysfunction).
- The pathophysiology of conditions characterized by protein disarrangements (i.e., muscle wasting and/or hypoalbuminemia) need to be fully clarified to develop adequate therapeutic (nutritional) strategies.
- Clinicians need to consider protein metabolism as a critical aspect for the management of patients with chronic diseases.
Author Contributions
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Pasini, E.; Corsetti, G.; Aquilani, R.; Romano, C.; Picca, A.; Calvani, R.; Dioguardi, F.S. Protein-Amino Acid Metabolism Disarrangements: The Hidden Enemy of Chronic Age-Related Conditions. Nutrients 2018, 10, 391. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10040391
Pasini E, Corsetti G, Aquilani R, Romano C, Picca A, Calvani R, Dioguardi FS. Protein-Amino Acid Metabolism Disarrangements: The Hidden Enemy of Chronic Age-Related Conditions. Nutrients. 2018; 10(4):391. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10040391
Chicago/Turabian StylePasini, Evasio, Giovanni Corsetti, Roberto Aquilani, Claudia Romano, Anna Picca, Riccardo Calvani, and Francesco Saverio Dioguardi. 2018. "Protein-Amino Acid Metabolism Disarrangements: The Hidden Enemy of Chronic Age-Related Conditions" Nutrients 10, no. 4: 391. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10040391
APA StylePasini, E., Corsetti, G., Aquilani, R., Romano, C., Picca, A., Calvani, R., & Dioguardi, F. S. (2018). Protein-Amino Acid Metabolism Disarrangements: The Hidden Enemy of Chronic Age-Related Conditions. Nutrients, 10(4), 391. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10040391