Profile of amino acids in urine

Profile of amino acidsów in urine

Clinical significance

Proteins contained in food are broken down in the gastrointestinal tract to oligopeptidesów or plural amino acidsów and absorbed into the blood. Amino acids contained in dietary proteins are consumed for protein synthesis by rós cells or are burned. The skeleton of someów amino acidsów can be used to synthesize glucose, the combustion of other amino acidsów can be a source of ketone substances. Someów amino acids the body can synthesize on its own (these are the so-called endogenous amino acids), while others, such as phenylalanine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, tryptophan and valine (the so-called essential amino acids) must be supplied with food, because the human body is unable to produce them. Determining the profile of amino acidsóin urine has applications in diagnosing metabolic disorders. Disorders of amino acidów metabolism are caused by genetically determined deficiencies of enzymesów essential for the relevant metabolic pathways. If the disease is diagnosed early, appropriate therapeutic management (appropriate diet) can reduce the consequences of enzyme deficiency. Examples of such disorders: Phenylketonuria ( a defect at the level of conversion of the amino acid phenylalanine, in children with mental retardation, the symptoms of the disease can be reduced by limiting the content of phenylalanine in the diet); alkaptonuria ( an excess of the amino acid homogentisate, whichówhose excess is excreted in the urine, its derivatives accumulate in tissues, mainly in cartilage - inflammatory changes in the joint may develop); albinism (impaired formation of the amino acid melanin); homocystinuria (impaired production of cysteine from homocysteine, cysteine must be supplied with food).

Patient preparation

Material: urine