Altered levels of plasma free amino acids in hyperuricemia among male smokers

Purpose: The purpose was to explore the existence of distinct patterns of alterations in plasma free amino acids (PFAAs) among smokers with hyperuricemia. Methods: Venous blood samples from 169 male subjects (95 smokers and 74 nonsmokers) were analyzed for the measurements of 19 PFAAs and uric acid. Mann-Whitney U-test was applied for comparison of PFAA levels between two groups. Results: Evaluations of PFAAs made separately in smokers and non-smokers show that compared to the corresponding values for the subjects without hyperuricemia, subjects with it had significantly higher levels of isoleucine, leucine, methionine, phenylalanine, tryptophan, tyrosine and valine (P<0.05 to 0.01) and significantly lower levels of glutamine, glycine and serine (P<0.05 to 0.001) in the smoker group, and a significantly higher level of phenylalanine (P<0.05) in the nonsmoker group. Conclusions: The findings suggest that hyperuricemia may have remarkable effects on the PFAA profiles in smokers, which underscores the importance of investigations into the mechanisms underlying the effects of cigarette smoking on the possible interactive relationship between the levels of plasma uric acid and PFAAs.

Amino acids

plasma profile

cigarette smoking

Brinkman index

hyperuricemia