Beta-Alanine

An amino acid formed in vivo by the degradation of dihydrouracil and carnosine. Since neuronal uptake and neuronal receptor sensitivity to beta-alanine have been demonstrated, the compound may be a false transmitter replacing GAMMA-AMINOBUTYRIC ACID. A rare genetic disorder, hyper-beta-alaninemia, has been reported. (In Vitro) :Cells treated with β-alanine display significantly suppressed basal and peak ECAR (aerobic glycolysis), with simultaneous increase in glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1) . Additionally, cells treated with β-alanine exhibit significantly reduced basal and peak OCR (oxidative metabolism), which is accompanied by reduction in mitochondrial content with subsequent suppression of genes which promote mitochondrial biosynthesis. Suppression of glycolytic and oxidative metabolism by β-alanine results in the reduction of total metabolic rate, although cell viability is not affected.β-alanine is shown to reduce both cell migration and proliferation without acting in a cytotoxic fashion. Moreover, β-alanine significantly increases malignant cell sensitivity to doxorubicin, suggesting a potential role as a co-therapeutic agent.