High concentrations of D-amino acids in human gastric juice

• Published in: Amino acids Vol. 32; no. 1; pp. 137 - 140
• Main Authors: Nagata, Y, Sato, T, Enomoto, N, Ishii, Y, Sasaki, K, Yamada, T
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Austria Vienna : Springer-Verlag 01.01.2007; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Alanine; Amino Acids; Amino Acids - analysis; analysis; aspartic acid; bacteria; Cancer; Carcinoma; Chronic infection; Correlation; D-Alanine; D-Amino acids; duodenal ulcers; Female; Gastric cancer; Gastric carcinoma; Gastric juice; Gastric Juice - metabolism; Gastric Juice - microbiology; Gastritis; Glutamic acid; H. pylori; Helicobacter Infections; Helicobacter Infections - metabolism; Helicobacter pylori; Human; Humans; Infections; inflammation; Juices; L-Alanine; L-Serine; Male; metabolism; microbiology; Middle Aged; Patients; Peptic ulcers; Proline; Risk factors; serine; Stomach; Stomach Diseases; Stomach Diseases - metabolism; Stomach Diseases - microbiology; stomach neoplasms; Ulcers
• ISSN: 0939-4451; 1438-2199
• DOI: 10.1007/s00726-006-0262-9

The concentrations of free D- and L-amino acids were determined in the gastric juice from four groups: patients suffering from early gastric carcinoma with or without Helicobacter pylori infection, and patients without carcinoma but with peptic ulcers, duodenal ulcers or chronic gastritis with or without H. pylori infection. H. pylori is a bacterium associated with gastric inflammation and peptic ulcers and is a risk factor for stomach cancer. The highest D-amino acid ratios (free D-amino acid concentration to the total corresponding free D- and L-amino acid concentration) were 29%, 26%, 18%, 4% and 1% for proline, alanine, serine, aspartate and glutamate, respectively. The gastric juice levels of L-alanine, L-serine, L-proline, L-glutamate and D-alanine in the samples obtained from subjects bearing early gastric carcinoma and H. pylori were significantly higher than in the samples from the other three groups. Except for D-alanine, there was no correlation between the D-amino acid concentrations and presence of carcinoma or H. pylori.