Reduction of ammonia formation in cell cultures by L-alanyl-L-glutaminerequires optimization of the dipeptide concentration

摘要

In cell culture media, glutamine (Gln) decomposes progressively into ammonia and 5-pyrrolidone carboxylic acid. Ammonia is toxic and reduces cell growth. The formation of ammonia is strongly decreased by using the Gin dipeptide L-alanyl-L-glutamine (L-Ala-L-Gln). However, the effects of this dipeptide on the amount of ammonia originating from cellular Gin metabolism are not known. Growing microglial BV-2 cells in a medium containing either Gin or L-Ala-L-Gln showed that the replacement of Gin by L-Ala-L-Gln, at concentrations much below those present in commercial media, was beneficial to the cell growth. Our approach could prove advantageous in culturing various types of cells.