Amino Acid Status in Pregnancy: Urinary Catabolites As Non-Invasive Biomarkers

摘要

Pregnancy is a metabolically active life stage. Formate plays a major role in one-carbon metabolism, a biosynthetic pathway critical for cellular growth and function. Because formate can be synthesized from amino acid precursors serine, glycine, tryptophan and methionine, it suggests that urinary formate concentration may be low in response to low protein intakes. Additionally, sulfate is the excretory endpoint for the breakdown of indispensable, sulfur containing amino acids methionine and cysteine. Our objectives were to determine if urinary excretion of formate/sulfate can be utilized as non-invasive biomarkers in pregnancy, when protein intakes range from deficient to adequate.