Lymphocytes are a type of white blood cell involved in the immune response. High or low levels of lymphocytes can indicate infection, autoimmune disorders, or other health problems.
Alanine is another amino acid that can be used as an energy substrate by lymphocytes. Alterations in alanine availability may impact lymphocyte metabolism.
Takuma Kobayashi, Yuki Matsuzawa, Yusuke Nakamura, Hiroshi Saito, Masahiro Koyama, Yasuhiro Izumi, Tadashi Ishii, Hiroshi Tanaka, Hiroshi Yatsuzuka. The Associations Between Alanine Aminotransferase and Other Clinical Parameters in a General Population. NCBI (2022). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9988735/
Arginine is important for lymphocyte proliferation and is metabolized to immune-modulating compounds like nitric oxide. Arginine changes can affect lymphocyte function.
Glutamine is an important fuel source for rapidly dividing lymphocytes and supports lymphocyte proliferation and function. Low glutamine levels may impair lymphocyte activity.
Pedersen, B.K., & Febbraio, M.A.. Lymphocyte Glucose and Glutamine Metabolism as Targets of the Anti-Inflammatory and Immunomodulatory Effects of Exercise. Journal of Applied Physiology (2012). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4060061/
Glycine has anti-inflammatory and cytoprotective properties that may help modulate lymphocyte activation and survival under stress conditions.
M. Cruz, C. Maldonado-Bernal, R. Mondragón-Gonzalez, et al.. Glycine treatment decreases proinflammatory cytokines and increases interferon-γ in patients with Type 2 diabetes. Journal of Endocrinological Investigation (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03346417
Methionine is required for lymphocyte proliferation and its deficiency has been shown to impair lymphocyte responses. Methionine status may influence lymphocyte numbers.
Malloy VL, Perrone CE, Mattocks DA, Ables GP, Caliendo NS, Orentreich DS, Orentreich N. “Peptide-Bound Methionine as Methionine Sources for Protein Synthesis and Cell Proliferation”. Metabolism (2021). https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022316623017078
Gao X, Sanderson SM, Dai Z, Reid MA, Cooper DE, Lu M, et al.. “Methionine cycle-dependent regulation of T cells in cancer immunity”. Nature (2019). https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1437-3
Tryptophan catabolism via the kynurenine pathway in lymphocytes can modulate inflammation and immune function. Changes in tryptophan levels may influence lymphocyte activity.
