L-Glutamine

L-Glutamine is an amino acid and is essential in the formation of purine and pyrimidine nucleotides, amino sugars, glutathione, L-glutamate and other amino acids as well as in protein synthesis and glucose production. It plays also a role in lipid synthesis (e.g. in cancer cells), cellular energy as a source next to glucose, nitrogen donation for many anabolic processes, including the synthesis of purines and carbon donation, as a source refilling the citric acid cycle. It is a nontoxic transporter of ammonia in the blood circulation and a precursor to the neurotransmitter glutamate and GABA. L-Glutamine is an essential amino acid which is a crucial component of culture media that serves as a major energy source for cells in culture. L-Glutamine exerts potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, next to its roles in cell proliferation and cancer. Levels of L-glutamine in human white adipose tissue (WAT) are linked with obesity-associated inflammation. Addition of L-glutamine in obese mice attenuated adipose tissue inflammation. Reduced L-glutamine levels during obesity shift the balance from glutaminolysis toward glycolysis, leading to nuclear O-GlcNAcylation, which activates inflammation.