支链氨基酸及其临床应用

支链氨基酸(branched-chain amino acids,BCAA)包括亮氨酸、异亮氨酸和缬氨酸,是人体营养必需氨基酸。它们不仅是蛋白质的基本组成单位,也可作为信号分子调节糖脂代谢、凋亡及自噬而发挥重要的生理功能。临床及基础研究发现,血浆BCAA含量与糖尿病、冠心病及心力衰竭等疾病紧密独立相关,并参与疾病发生发展。因此BCAA不仅是具有潜在预测疾病与预后评价作用的生物标志物,而且有望成为糖尿病、冠心病及心力衰竭等代谢相关疾病治疗的新靶点。本文对BCAA的生物学作用,其对糖尿病、冠心病及心力衰竭的影响及临床应用前景作一综述。

Branched-chain amino acid and clinical application

Branched-chain amino acids (BCAA), which comprise leucine, isoleucine and valine, are a subgroup of essential amino acids in human. In addition to their role as basic building blocks for proteins synthesis, BCAAs also function as critical nutrient signals that modulate glycolipid metabolism, apoptosis and autophagy to exert pivotal physiological functions. Clinical and fundamental research has found that the level of serum BCAA is independently associated with diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease and heart failure. BCAAs play a critical role in the development and process of diseases. Thus, BCAA can be used as a potential biological marker in disease prediction and prognosis evaluation. Besides, BCAA can also be regarded as a novel target for clinical treatment of metabolism-related diseases, such as diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease and heart failure. In this review, we will focus on the biological functions and the influence of BCAA on diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease and heart failure. Additionally, we summarize the prospect of BCAA in climical application.