The Role of Tryptophan in Fatigue in Different Conditions of Stress

Castell, Linda M.; Yamamoto, Takanobu; Phoenix, Joanne; Newsholme, Eric A.

doi:10.1007/978-1-4615-4709-9_90

The Role of Tryptophan in Fatigue in Different Conditions of Stress

Linda M. Castell⁵,
Takanobu Yamamoto⁶,
Joanne Phoenix⁷ &
Eric A. Newsholme⁵

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35 Citations
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Part of the Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology book series (AEMB,volume 467)

Abstract

Tryptophan is the precursor for the neurotransmitter 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), which is involved in fatigue and sleep. It is present in bound and free form in the blood, where the concentration is controlled by albumin binding to tryptophan. An increase in plasma free tryptophan leads to an increased rate of entry of tryptophan into the brain. This should lead to a higher level of 5-HT which may cause central fatigue. Central fatigue is implicated in clinical conditions such as chronic fatigue syndrome and post-operative fatigue. Increased plasma free tryptophan leads to an increase in the plasma concentration ratio of free tryptophan to the branched chain amino acids (BCAA) which compete with tryptophan for entry into the brain across the blood-brain barrier.

The plasma concentrations of these amino acids were measured in chronic fatigue syndrome patients (CFS) before and after exercise (Castell et al., 1998), and in patients undergoing major surgery (Yamamoto et al., 1997). In the CFS patients, the pre-exercise concentration of plasma free tryptophan was higher than in controls (p < 0.05) but did not change during or after exercise. This might indicate an abnormally high level of brain 5-HT in CFS patients leading to persistent fatigue. In the control group, plasma free tryptophan was increased after maximal exercise (p ° 0.001), returning towards baseline levels 60 min later. The apparent failure of the CFS patients to change the plasma free tryptophan concentration or the free tryptophan/BCAA ratio during exercise may indicate increased sensitivity of brain 5-HT receptors, as has been demonstrated in other studies (Cleare et al., 1995).

In post-operative recovery after major surgery plasma free tryptophan concentrations were markedly increased compared with baseline levels; the plasma free tryptophan/BCAA concentration ratio was also increased after surgery. Plasma albumin concentrations were decreased after surgery: this may account for the increase in plasma free tryptophan levels.

Provision of BCAA has improved mental performance in athletes after endurance exercise (Blomstrand et al., 1995, 1997). It is suggested that BCAA supplementation may help to counteract the effects of an increase in plasma free tryptophan, and may thus improve the status of patients during or after some clinically stressful conditions.

Keywords

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Branch Chain Amino Acid
Maximal Exercise
Exhaustive Exercise
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Patient

These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

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Authors and Affiliations

University Department of Biochemistry, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
Linda M. Castell & Eric A. Newsholme
Department of Medicine, The University, P.O. Box 147, Liverpool, L69 3BX, UK
Takanobu Yamamoto
Health Science Laboratory, Tezukayama University, Nara, Japan
Joanne Phoenix

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Linda M. Castell
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Takanobu Yamamoto
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Joanne Phoenix
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Eric A. Newsholme
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Editors and Affiliations

Department of Psychiatry, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
Gerald Huether
Department of Clinical Chemistry, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
Walter Kochen
Department of Food Chemistry, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
Thomas J. Simat
Department of Food Chemistry, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
Hans Steinhart

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Castell, L.M., Yamamoto, T., Phoenix, J., Newsholme, E.A. (1999). The Role of Tryptophan in Fatigue in Different Conditions of Stress. In: Huether, G., Kochen, W., Simat, T.J., Steinhart, H. (eds) Tryptophan, Serotonin, and Melatonin. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 467. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-4709-9_90

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-4709-9_90
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