Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy· 2026Q1· Review
Glutamine metabolism in health and disease
- 0citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
Glutamine metabolism is crucial for rapidly growing cells (immune, intestinal, cancer) as an energy/nitrogen source and in nucleotide synthesis, REDOX balance, and immune regulation, but its dysregulation drives diseases like cancer, neurodegeneration, and metabolic disorders.
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Key points
- Glutamine is a primary energy and nitrogen source for immune, intestinal, and cancer cells.
- It plays critical roles in nucleotide synthesis, REDOX balance, and immune function.
- Dysregulated glutamine metabolism is implicated in cancer ('glutamine addiction'), neurodegenerative diseases, and metabolic disorders.
- Gut microbes influence host glutamine metabolism and disease progression.
- Therapeutic targeting of glutamine metabolism requires individualized approaches.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Abstract Glutamine is the most abundant free amino acid in the body. It plays a central role in cellular metabolism, connecting synthetic and catabolic pathways, and maintaining life activities under physiological and pathological conditions. This review systematically explores the dual role of glutamine metabolism in health and disease. Glutamine is not only the main energy and nitrogen source for rapidly proliferating cells, such as immune cells, intestinal epithelial cells, and cancer cells but also participates in several key biological processes, such as nucleotide synthesis, REDOX balance, and immune regulation. Glutamine metabolism is often abnormally activated or disrupted in disease states, such as “glutamine addiction” in cancer and excitotoxicity and mitochondrial dysfunction in neurodegenerative diseases. Disorders of glutamine metabolism are also present in metabolic diseases (such as diabetes and MAFLD) and cardiovascular diseases. In addition, gut microbes regulate host glutamine metabolism through metabolites and signaling pathways, further affecting the disease process. Therapeutic strategies to target glutamine metabolism include inhibition of key enzymes or transporters, as well as exogenous glutamine supplementation. However, the effects of these strategies are context-dependent and need to be applied individually according to the specific pathological status of patients. Future research should focus on tissue-specific metabolic profiling, integrated multiomics analysis, and the development of combined treatment strategies to fully realize the potential of glutamine metabolism in disease treatment.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Biochemistry (Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology)
BiochemistryBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology