QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Grimble, R. F. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Grimble, R. F.

---

Supplement: 5th Amino Acid Assessment Workshop: Session I

The Effects of Sulfur Amino Acid Intake on Immune Function in Humans¹

Institute of Human Nutrition, School of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton SO16 7PX, UK

² To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: rfg1{at}soton.ac.uk.

No direct data exist on the influence of supranormal intakes of sulfur amino acids on immune function in humans. However 3 major products of sulfur amino acids, glutathione (GSH), homocysteine (Hcy), and taurine (Tau), influence, mainly, inflammatory aspects of the immune response in vitro and in vivo. Methionine intakes above 1 g/d transiently raise plasma Tau, Hcy, and GSH. Tau and GSH ameliorate inflammation. Hcy has the opposite effect. A biphasic relation, between cellular GSH and CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ numbers occurs in healthy men. How changes in sulfur amino acid intake influence this phenomenon is unknown. In animals, high Tau intakes are antiinflammatory. How immune function in humans is affected is unknown. A positive relation between plasma neopterin (a marker of a Th-1–type immune response) and Hcy indicates that Hcy may play a part in inflammatory aspects of Parkinson's disease and aging. In vitro, Hcy, at concentrations seen following consumption of 6 g L-methionine/d in adults, increases the interactions among T lymphocytes, monocytes, and endothelium. Whether a similar phenomenon occurs in vivo is unknown. Polymorphisms in the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene are associated with raised plasma Hcy in young but not old subjects. The relation of this observation to immune function is unknown. The relationships among Hcy, inflammatory aspects of disease, and in vitro alterations in immune cell behavior create a cautionary note about supplementation of diets with L-methionine to raise intake above 1 g/d. Studies directly linking methionine intake, genetics, plasma Hcy, Tau, and GSH and immune function are needed.

KEY WORDS: • methionine • cysteine • glutathione • homocysteine • immune function

This article has been cited by other articles:

				Y. S. Kim, M. R. Young, G. Bobe, N. H. Colburn, and J. A. Milner Bioactive Food Components, Inflammatory Targets, and Cancer Prevention Cancer Prevention Research, March 1, 2009; 2(3): 200 - 208. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. W. Waggoner, C. A. Loest, C. P. Mathis, D. M. Hallford, and M. K. Petersen Effects of rumen-protected methionine supplementation and bacterial lipopolysaccharide infusion on nitrogen metabolism and hormonal responses of growing beef steers J Anim Sci, February 1, 2009; 87(2): 681 - 692. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. Detopoulou, D. B Panagiotakos, S. Antonopoulou, C. Pitsavos, and C. Stefanadis Dietary choline and betaine intakes in relation to concentrations of inflammatory markers in healthy adults: the ATTICA study Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, February 1, 2008; 87(2): 424 - 430. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				G. K. Grimble Adverse Gastrointestinal Effects of Arginine and Related Amino Acids J. Nutr., June 1, 2007; 137(6): 1693S - 1701S. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. Kariya, H. Leitner, E. Min, C. van Heeckeren, A. van Heeckeren, and B. J. Day A role for CFTR in the elevation of glutathione levels in the lung by oral glutathione administration Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol, June 1, 2007; 292(6): L1590 - L1597. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]