Total Protein is a measure of all the proteins in the blood, including albumin and globulins. Abnormal levels of total protein may indicate liver or kidney disease, or other health problems.
Alanine is an amino acid that is a component of many proteins in the body. Higher alanine levels may reflect increased protein turnover or breakdown, which could correlate with changes in total serum protein levels.
References
Elango, R., & Ball, R. O.. Protein turnover, amino acid requirements and … Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (2013). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3854183/
Schoeller, D. A., & Hayes, J. R.. Application of EA‐IRMS for protein turnover analysis using deuterium … Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry (2023). https://analyticalsciencejournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/rcm.9522?af=R
Elango, R., & Ball, R. O.. Kinetics of intravenously administered 15N-l-alanine in the evaluation of … American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2023). https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002916523287973
Glutamine is the most abundant free amino acid in the body and is used in the biosynthesis of proteins. Glutamine levels may relate to overall protein status as reflected by the total protein clinical lab marker.
References
Curi R, Matheus RD, Castro IA, de Mello MT, Franca E, Rossetto R. Glutamine: Metabolism and Immune Function, Supplementation … NCBI (2019). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6266414/
Kim-Teng Lee, Hong-Sheng Liao, Ming-Hsiun Hsieh. Glutamine Metabolism, Sensing and Signaling in Plants. Plant and Cell Physiology (2023). https://academic.oup.com/pcp/article-abstract/64/12/1466/7181255?redirectedFrom=fulltext
ScienceDirect Topics. Glutamine - an overview. ScienceDirect Topics (nan). https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/biochemistry-genetics-and-molecular-biology/glutamine
Zhang Z, Zheng L, Lu W. Glutamine reliance in cell metabolism. Experimental & Molecular Medicine (2020). https://www.nature.com/articles/s12276-020-00504-8
Kim MH, Kim SY, Kim JH, et al.. Effect of glutamine on protein synthesis in isolated intestinal … PubMed (1993). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8271353/
Leucine is an essential amino acid that stimulates protein synthesis and inhibits protein breakdown in muscle. Leucine levels could potentially impact total body protein balance and the total protein lab measurement.
References
Adewale O. Ogunleye, Anastasios Phillippou, et al.. Double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot trial of L-Leucine-enriched amino acid supplementation on muscle mass and physical performance in elderly men and women. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2015). https://www.nature.com/articles/ejcn201591
José A. Morales, et al.. Reviewing the Effects of l-Leucine Supplementation in the Regulation of Food Intake, Energy Balance, and Glucose Homeostasis. Nutrients (2015). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4446786/
Robert R. Wolfe, et al.. Excess Leucine Intake Enhances Muscle Anabolic Signaling but Not Net Protein Balance in Healthy Young Men. The Journal of Nutrition (2022). https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022316622071395
Xin-Yu Zhang, et al.. Research progress in the role and mechanism of Leucine in regulating animal growth and development. Animal Nutrition (2023). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10691278/
Michael J. Rennie, et al.. Kinetic modeling of leucine-mediated signaling and protein metabolism in skeletal muscle. Cell Metabolism (2024). https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004223027116