Biochemistry of Amino Acids - A. Majster 1961

Disorders of Amino Acid Metabolism in Certain Pathological States
Introduction

The Study of "normal" biochemical and physiological processes typically serves as an essential prerequisite for elucidating The Nature of pathological processes. Indeed, the special attention devoted recently to research aimed at uncovering the nature of human diseases has provided the impetus for an in-depth study of various Functions in the normal Organism. It is equally unquestionable that the investigation of certain pathological states has, in turn, contributed to a better understanding of normal processes. For instance, specific aspects of normal METABOLISM may be impaired or enhanced in certain diseases. Consequently, our understanding of normal physiological processes and their pathological disruptions tends to advance more or less in parallel.

This chapter provides An Overview of selected amino acid Metabolic Disorders observed in pathological states, some of which have already been mentioned in preceding chapters. In fact, virtually every disease is associated with alterations in Amino acid metabolism—a view supported by a wealth of literature. This chapter focuses exclusively on phenomena for which sufficient data are available to draw comparisons with normal functions. Therefore, the material covered here is relatively limited; its primary purpose is to Complement the data on normal biochemical and physiological processes presented in the previous chapters.