The purpose was to determine if whole body and skeletal muscle glutamine and leucine metabolism are altered in HIV-infected subjects. Six HIV-infected men with chronic stable opportunistic infections and 10% weight loss, 8 HIV-infected men and 1 woman without wasting and 6 HIV- negative age-and weight-matched men were studied. Constant intravenous infusions of stable isotopically labeled leucine and glutamine were used to assess plasma GLN and LEU rates of appearance by mass spectrometric measurements of stable isotope content. Fasting whole body protein breakdown and synthesis rates were increased above control in the asymptomatic HIV-infected subjects and further increased in symptomatic HIV-infected subjects. These findings suggest that the rate of muscle protein breakdown was increased while the rate of muscle protein synthesis was unchanged in symptomatic HIV-infected subjects. Since lymphocytes require GLN release may be increased to provide energy for proliferati ng lymphocytes.
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