[Circulating citrulline levels: a biomarker for intestinal functionality assessment].

Pascal Crenn (1) , Mouna Hanachi (1, 2, 3) , Nathalie Neveux (3, 4) , Luc Cynober (3, 4)

1 GRCTH - Groupe de Recherche Clinique et Technologique sur le Handicap
2 Hôpital Raymond Poincaré [AP-HP]
3 PRETRRAM - EA 4466 - Prévention et traitement de la perte protéique musculaire en situation de résistance à l'anabolisme
4 Service de biochimie et de génétique moléculaire [CHU Cochin]

Circulating citrulline is emerging as an innovating biomarker candidate for assessment of intestinal function. Amino acid synthesized by enterocytes of intestinal mucosal, citrulline is not included in proteins or nutrition products and is a precursor for production of arginine by the kidney. Plasma citrulline is, in clinical situation, an established biomarker of enterocyte functional metabolic mass (trophicity) in children and in adult patients due to its high relation to active functional small bowel remnant length in intestinal diseases (short bowel, extensive enteropathies, intestinal toxicity of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Plasma citrulline concentration (30-50 μmol/L), independent of nutritional status, if less than 10 μmol/L can give an objective threshold for nutrition parenteral use in case of intestinal failure due to enterocyte abnormalities or lack. Its regular dosage allows the monitoring of intestinal function except in case of significant renal failure.

Mots clés: citrulline; intestin; entérocyte; insuffisance intestinale

Domaines: Alimentation et Nutrition; Biochimie [q-bio.BM]; Hépatologie et Gastroentérologie

Pascal Crenn, Mouna Hanachi, Nathalie Neveux, Luc Cynober. [Circulating citrulline levels: a biomarker for intestinal functionality assessment].. Annales de Biologie Clinique, 2011, 69 (5), pp.513-21. ⟨10.1684/abc.2011.0609⟩. ⟨inserm-00924418⟩