Summary
Fasting plasma levels of the large neutral amino acids (LNAA;l-forms) andl-tryptophan (TRP) ratios were determined in thirteen healthy volunteers (7 males, 6 females) on five consecutive mornings, and the same procedure was repeated for each individual three months later. We found characteristic overall ranges for the parameters studied, and, in addition to certain differences between the sexes, considerable inter- and intraindividual daily variations. Although the individuals showed statistically identifiable mean levels that, in the majority of subjects, were maintained over a period of three months, it is concluded that the degree of intraindividual variability does not allow us to regard a single value as “characteristic” for a given individual. This should be borne in mind in particular in follow-up studies of plasma LNAA in patients with, for example, depressive disorders.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Akamatsou T, Ito M, Endo I (1975) Fluctuation of plasma free amino acids in healthy adults (1). Nippon Eiseigaku Zasshi (Jap J Hyg) 30: 217
Armstrong MD, Stave U (1973) A study of plasma free amino acid levels. II. Normal values for children and adults. Metabolism 22: 561–569
Birkmayer W, Neumayer E, Stöckl W, Weiler G (1968) Defizit essentieller Aminosäuren bei endogener Depression. Wien Klin Wochenschr 80: 832–834
Bortz J (1985) Lehrbuch der Statistik., 2 Aufl. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, p 61
Branchey L, Branchey M, Shaw S, Lieber CS (1984) Depression, suicide, and aggression in alcoholics and their relationship to plasma amino acids. Psychiatry Res 12: 219–226
Candito M, Souetre E, Iordache A, Pringuey D, Ardisson JL, Chambon P, Darcourt G (1990) Diurnal variation in total plasma tryptophan in controls and in depression. J Psychiat Res 24: 227–230
Coppen A (1967) The biochemistry of affective disorders. Br J Psychiat 113: 1237–1264
Coppen A, Eccleston EG, Peet M (1972) Total and free tryptophan concentration in the plasma of depressive patients. Lancet ii: 1415–1416
Cowen PJ, Parry-Billings M, Newsholme EA (1989) Decreased plasma tryptophan levels in major depressive disorders. J Affect Disord 16: 27–31
Cox BD, Calame DP (1978) Changes in plasma amino acid levels during the human menstrual cycle and in early pregnancy. A preliminary report. Horm Metab Res 10: 428–433
Craft IL, Wise IJ (1969) Changes in amino acid metabolism during the menstrual cycle. J Obstet Gynaecol Brit Cwlth 76: 928–933
Dam H, Mellerup ET, Rafaelsen OJ (1984) Diurnal variation of total plasma tryptophan in depressive patients. Acta Psychiatr Scand 69: 190–196
DeMyer MK, Shea PA, Hendrie HC, Yoshimura NN (1981) Plasma tryptophan and five other amino acids in depressed and normal subjects. Arch Gen Psychiatry 38: 642–646
Dunlop SR, Hendrie HC, Shea PA, Brittain HM (1983) Ratio of plasma tryptophan to five other amino acids in depressed subjects: a follow-up. Arch Gen Psychiatry 40: 1033–1034
Eriksson T, Voog L, Walinder J, Eriksson TE (1989) Diurnal rhythm in absolute and relative concentrations of large neutral amino acids in human plasma. J Psychiat Res 23: 241–249
Fernstrom JD, Wurtman RJ (1972) Brain serotonin content: physiological regulation by plasma neutral amino acids. Science 178: 414–416
Fernstrom JD, Hirsch MJ, Faller DV (1976) Tryptophan concentrations in rat brain: failure to correlate with serum free tryptophan or its ratio to the sum of other serum neutral amino acids. Biochem J 160: 589–595
Hrboticky N, Leiter LA, Anderson GH (1989) Menstrual cycle effects on the metabolism of tryptophan loads. Am J Clin Nutr 50: 46–52
Joseph MS, Brewerton TD, Reus VI, Stebbins GT (1984) Plasmal-tryptophan/neutral amino acid ratio and dexamethasone suppression in depression. Psychiat Res 11: 185–192
Kerlinger FN (1964) Foundations of behavioral research. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, New York, p 200 ff
Knott PJ, Curzon G (1972) Free tryptophan in plasma and brain tryptophan metabolism. Nature 239: 452–453
Landau RL, Lugibihl K (1967) The effect of progesterone on the concentration of plasma amino acids in man. Metabolism 16: 1114–1122
Liappis N (1972) Geschlechtsspezifische Unterschiede der freien Aminosäuren im Serum von Erwachsenen. Z Klin Chem Klin Biochem 10: 132–135
Liappis N (1985) Physiologische Schwankungsbereiche der Aminosäurekonzentrationen im Nüchternserum gesunder Männer. Ärztl Lab 31: 244–250
Maes MH, de Ryter M, Suy E (1987) Prediction of subtype and severity of depression by means of dexamethasone suppression test,l-tryptophan, competing amino acid ratio, and MHPG flow. Biol Psychiat 22: 177–188
Melatino LS, Fiore CE, Costa M, Calandra C, Petrone G, Cacciola S (1982) Circadian rhythm of plasma tryptophan in clinically healthy subjects and patients with endogenous depression. Chronobiologia 9: 13–20
McMenamy RH, Oncley JL (1958) The specific binding ofl-tryptophan to serum albumin. J Biol Chem 233: 1436–1447
Milsom JP, Morgan MY, Sherlock S (1979) Factors affecting plasma amino acid concentrations in control subjects. Metabolism 28: 313–319
Moore S, Stein WH ( 1951) Chromatography of amino acids on sulfonated polystyrene resins. J Biol Chem 192: 663–681
Møller SE, Kirk L, Fremming KH (1976) Plasma amino acids as an index for subgroups in manic depressive psychosis: correlation to effect of tryptophan. Psychopharmacology 49: 205–213
Møller SE, Kirk L, Brandrup E, Kaldan B, ødum K (1983) Tryptophan availability in endogenous depression — relation to efficacy ofl-tryptophan treatment. Adv Biol Psychiat 10: 30–46
Møller SE (1985) Tryptophan to competing amino acids ratio in depressive disorder: relation to efficacy of antidepressive treatments. Acta Psychiatr Scand 72: 1–31
Møller SE, de Beurs P, Timmermann L, Tan BK, Leijnse-Ybema HJ, Cohen Stuart MH, Høpfner-Petersen HE (1986) Plasma tryptophan and tyrosine ratios to competing amino acids in relation to antidepressant response to citalopram and maprotiline. A preliminary study. Psychopharmacology 88: 96–100
Oepen H, Oepen I (1965) Geschlechtsspezifische Konzentrationsunterschiede der Serum-Aminosäuren. Klin Wochenschr 43: 211–214
Phipps DA, Powell C (1985) Plasma tryptophan, age and depression. Age Ageing 14: 71–75
Russ MJ, Ackerman SH, Bany-Schwartz M, Shindledecker RD, Smith GP (1990) Plasma tryptophan to large neutral amino acid ratios in depressed and normal subjects. J Affect Disord 19: 9–14
Sarrias MJ, Artigas F, Martinez E, Gelpi E (1989) Seasonal changes of plasma serotonin and related parameters: correlation with environmental measures. Biol Psychiat 26: 695–706
Scriver CR, Gregory DM, Sovetts D, Tissenbaum G (1985) Normal plasma free amino acid values in adults: the influence of some common physiological variables. Metabolism 34: 868–873
Soupart P (1960) Aminoacidémie et aminoacidurie au cours du cycle menstruel chez la femme normale. Clin Chim Acta 5: 235–249
Swade C, Coppen A (1980) Seasonal variations in biochemical factors related to depressive illness. J Affect Disord 2: 249–255
Thomas DR, Shaw DM, Tidmarsh SF (1986) Effect of age on plasma tryptophan. J Clin Psychopharmacol 6: 252–253
Troll U, Kessler G, Schöntag G (1978) Aminosäuren in der parenteralen Ernährung. I. Zur Normalverteilung der Serumaminosäuren Stoffwechselgesunder. Infusionstherapie 5: 66–68
Wirz-Justice A, Richter R (1979) Seasonality in biochemical determinations: a source of variance and a clue to the temporal incidence of affective illness. Psychiat Res 1: 53–60
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Demling, J., Langer, K., Wörthmüller, M. et al. Individual day-to-day variations in plasma amino acid levels in healthy persons. Amino Acids 5, 253–262 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00805988
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00805988