Possible Interaction: Ammonia and Phenylalanine

“Results showed that for the luminal bacteria, all AA concentrations except phenylalanine in the ileum decreased during the 24-h in vitro incubation with a increase of ammonia concentration, while 4 AA (glutamate, glutamine, arginine and lysine) in the jejunum decreased, with the disappearance rate at 60–95 %.”

“They reduced the ammonia and glutamine concentrations in the blood and brains of the experimental animals and caused a significant decrease in the concentration of the aromatic amino acids ( phenylalanine and tyrosine) in the animals' brains.”

“There was a strong positive correlation between low plasma branched-chain amino acids and other essential amino acids, and a negative correlation between ammonia and phenylalanine to tyrosine (Phe:Tyr) ratio in patients with OTC deficiency, and between glutamine and Phe:Tyr ratio in all patients, indicating protein deficiency.”

“Furthermore, the transcript level of one candidate gene (ARO10) increased 30-fold when phenylalanine replaced ammonia as the sole nitrogen source.”

“Glucose repressed enzyme synthesis, whereas ammonia reduced phenylalanine uptake and pool size and so may repress enzyme synthesis through inducer exclusion.”