Possible Interaction: Alanine and Dexamethasone

“Several studies in the 1980s about the interorgan metabolism of amino acids showed that, in starvation and in the catabolic state, glutamine (GLN) is … influence of glucocorticoids on GLN release from skeletal muscle was demonstrated 1984 by Muhlbacher et al. 2 who showed that chronic administration of dexamethasone … alanine ….”

“ Dexamethasone administered to healthy subjects in a daily dose of 3 mg over a four day period caused significant increases in alanine and methionine levels (26%) as well as a rise in arginine.”

“Insulin at a physiological concentration (300 mU/l) and dexamethasone (0.001 mmol/l) had slight but significant effects on the incorporation rate of alanine into glucose and glycogen, respectively.”

“ Dexamethasone treatment in normal subjects resulted in a 40% rise in plasma alanine concentration which was directly proportional to the rise in basal glucagon.”

“In obese subjects, basal glucagon rose by 110% following dexamethasone , while the response to alanine increased fourfold.”

“ Dexamethasone resulted in a negative nitrogen balance, and produced decreases in the blood concentrations of glutamine (32.3%) and glutamate (25.3%) but an increase in the blood concentration of alanine (33.9%).”

“Likewise, dexamethasone accelerated the release of alanine by the lungs twofold (559 +/- 173 nmol/100 gm body weight/min in controls vs 1113 +/- 184 nmol/100 gm body weight/min in dexamethasone-treated rats; p less than 0.05).”

“ Dexamethasone resulted in negative nitrogen balance, and produced increases in the plasma concentrations of alanine (23.4%) and insulin (158%) but a decrease in the plasma concentration of glutamine (28.7%).”

“ Dexamethasone treatment resulted in negative nitrogen balance (P less than 0.001), … the concentrations of plasma glucose (22%, P less than 0.05), alanine (32%, P less than 0.001) and insulin (127%, P less than 0.… in the plasma concentration of glutamine (20%, P less than 0.05).”