Urea cycle

Urea cycle is a metabolic pathway where depending on the needs of Nitrogen of the organism

it can be excreted as urea to avoid toxicity or go trough intermediaries for amino acid

interconversion, thanks for Krebbs cycle being related, the energy production can also be done.

Damages in enzymes and transporters are some reasons for disorders, hyperammonemia is the

main and most frequently consequence which leads to neurological damage and may cause death

few days from birth, the use of tests that determine the specific damaged enzyme are needed for

diagnostic and future treatment. During acute episodes control of hyperammonemia is the

objective while in chronic treatment is avoiding it with restrictions in activities, behaviors, and

diet. Liver transplant is an effective treatment where metabolic abnormalities are reduced,

neurological damage is prevented, to realize this procedure there are some factors to be analyzed.

Citrulline has many benefits like being a safety supplementation of arginine, increase in muscular

protein synthesis, vascular protection and a better performance during some sports, the activation

of NOS which synthesis product is NO and the subsequent pathways it activate may be the

explanation for some Citrulline effects.

References

 Metabolismo del nitrógeno II: degradación. In: McKee T, McKee JR. eds. Bioquímica.

Las bases moleculares de la vida, 7e. McGraw-Hill

 Metabolismo del nitrógeno I: síntesis. In: McKee T, McKee JR. eds. Bioquímica. Las

bases moleculares de la vida, 7e. McGraw-Hill

 Papadia C, Osowska S, Cynober L, Forbes A. Citrulline in health and disease. Review

on human studies. Clin Nutr. 2018;37(6 Pt A):1823-1828.

doi:10.1016/j.clnu.2017.10.009

 Matsumoto, S., Häberle, J., Kido, J., Mitsubuchi, H., Endo, F., & Nakamura, K.

(2019). Urea cycle disorders-update. Journal of human genetics, 64(9), 833–847.

https://doi.org/10.1038/s10038-019-0614-4