title: Free amino acids in fibromyalgia syndrome: relationship with clinical picture.
abstract: The objectives of our study were to evaluate free amino acid (FAA) concentrations in the serum of patients affected by fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) and to determine the relationships between FAA levels and FMS clinical parameters. Thus, serum amino acid concentrations were quantified (HPLC analysis) in 23 females with fibromyalgia (according to the American College of Rheumatology classification criteria) and 20 healthy females. The results showed significantly higher serum concentrations of aspartate, cysteine, glutamate, glycine, isoleucine, leucine, methionine, ornithine, phenylalanine, sarcosine, serine, taurine, tyrosine and valine in FMS patients vs. healthy controls. Patients with higher Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) scores showed increased levels of alanine, glutamine, isoleucine, leucine, phenylalanine, proline and valine. In conclusion, our results indicate an imbalance in some FAAs in FMS patients. Increased Glu is particularly interesting, as it could explain the deficit in monoaminergic transmission involved in pain.
authors.affiliation: a Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche e Sanità Pubblica , Università di Cagliari , Monserrato , Cagliari , Italy.
authors.forename: Valeria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ruggiero
authors.affiliation: b Ospedale Pediatrico "A. Cao", Azienda Ospedaliera Brotzu , Cagliari , Italy.
authors.forename: Massimiliano
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mura
authors.affiliation: a Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche e Sanità Pubblica , Università di Cagliari , Monserrato , Cagliari , Italy.
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cacace
authors.affiliation: c Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e dell'Ambiente , Università di Cagliari , Monserrato , Cagliari , Italy.
authors.forename: Benedetta
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Era
authors.affiliation: d Dipartimento di Scienze Chirurgiche , Università di Cagliari , Monserrato , Cagliari , Italy.
authors.forename: Marcella
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Peri
authors.affiliation: b Ospedale Pediatrico "A. Cao", Azienda Ospedaliera Brotzu , Cagliari , Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sanna
authors.affiliation: c Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e dell'Ambiente , Università di Cagliari , Monserrato , Cagliari , Italy.
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fais
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000596:Amino Acids / Q000097:blood*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005356:Fibromyalgia / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids
keywords: Amino acids; Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire; HPLC; fibromyalgia