BioFiles Volume 4, Number 8 — Metabolomics

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Table of Contents

• Introduction
• An Expanded Set of Amino Acid Analogs for the Ribosomal Translation of Unnatural Peptides
• Amino Acid Metabolites in Natural Product Biosynthesis
• Amino Acid Metabolites as Biomarkers for the Differentiation of Diseased and Healthy Cells
• Characteristic Metabolites for Inborn Errors of Amino Acid Metabolism
• Altered Amino Acid Metabolites in Aging
• Non-Labeled Amino Acid Metabolites
• Stable Isotope-Labeled Amino Acid Metabolites
• Metabolite Libraries
• New Metabolites from Sigma-Aldrich
• Drug Discovery
  • Custom Packaged Pharmacologically Active Compounds and Metabolites
  • LOPAC®1280: Library of Pharmacologically Active Compounds
• Metabolite Chromatographic Analysis
  • Ascentis® Express HILIC
  • CHROMASOLV® Solvents

Altered Amino Acid Metabolites in Aging

Muscle loss with aging is associated with significant changes in amino acid metabolism. Nutritional changes in the daily protein intake, provision of excess leucine or exercise may improve activation of translation initiation and muscle protein synthesis. A significant portion of the aged population may not be receiving sufficient sulphur amino acids, which are present between 3% and 6% in proteins. From the two sulphur-containing amino acids only cysteine is synthesized by us and requires a steady supply of sulphur, while methionine cannot be synthesized by humans and has to be supplied by our food. On the other hand, homocysteine, a sulphur-containing amino acid playing a role in one-carbon metabolism, may be involved in geriatric multisystem problems and therefore research in monitoring and lowering homocysteine is of interest. Efforts to assess excitatory amino acid metabolism in a variety of neurodegenerative disorders may be useful for the development of new neuroprotective pharmaceuticals.

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