Sulfur amino acids in methionine-restricted rats: Hyperhomocysteinemia

• Published in: Nutrition (Burbank, Los Angeles County, Calif.) Vol. 26; no. 11; pp. 1201 - 1204
• Main Authors: Elshorbagy, Amany K., Ph.D, Valdivia-Garcia, Maria, M.Sc, Refsum, Helga, Ph.D., M.D, Smith, A. David, Ph.D, Mattocks, Dwight A.L., B.Sc, Perrone, Carmen E., Ph.D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01.11.2010; [New York]: Elsevier Science Inc; Elsevier; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Adiposity; amino acid metabolism; Amino acids; Amino Acids, Sulfur - blood; Amino Acids, Sulfur - chemistry; animal models; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Body Weight; Cystathionine; Cystathionine - blood; Cystathionine - chemistry; Cysteine; Cysteine - blood; Cysteine - chemistry; Diet; Diet - adverse effects; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gastroenterology and Hepatology; Homocysteine; Homocysteine - blood; Homocysteine - chemistry; Homocysteine - metabolism; hyperhomocysteinemia; Hyperhomocysteinemia - blood; Hyperhomocysteinemia - etiology; Hyperhomocysteinemia - metabolism; Intra-Abdominal Fat; Male; Methionine; Methionine - blood; Methionine - chemistry; Methionine - deficiency; Methionine - metabolism; methionine-restricted rats; nutrition assessment; nutrition physiology; nutritional status; protective effect; Proteins; Random Allocation; Rats; Rats, Inbred F344; Rodents; Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization; Studies; sulfur amino acids; Tandem Mass Spectrometry; Taurine; Taurine - blood; Taurine - chemistry; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; visceral fat; Visceral fat mass; weight loss; Taurine; Cysteine; Visceral fat mass; Cystathionine; Body weight; Methionine; Homocysteine; Visceral fat; Rat; Rodentia; Fat mass; Sulfur containing aminoacid; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Homocystein; Animal; Hyperhomocysteinemia
• ISSN: 0899-9007; 1873-1244
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nut.2009.09.017

Abstract Objective Dietary methionine restriction in Fischer-344 rats favorably influences visceral fat mass, insulin sensitivity, metabolic parameters, and longevity. However, little is known about the effects of methionine restriction on serum methionine and its downstream sulfur amino acids. We investigated the serum sulfur amino acid profile of male Fischer-344 rats fed a methionine-restricted diet for 3 mo. Methods and results Using tandem mass spectrometry, we observed marked reduction in serum concentrations of methionine, cystathionine, cysteine, and taurine in methionine-restricted rats compared with control ( P < 0.001) and a 2.5-fold elevation of homocysteine ( P < 0.001). Conclusion This suggests that homocysteine trans-sulfuration may be inhibited by methionine restriction, and that some of the effects of methionine restriction may be mediated by changes in sulfur amino acids downstream of methionine.