Amino Acids in Intestinal Growth and Health

The intestinal function is crucial for body health. The gut is the site of absorption for life-sustaining nutrients from the external world and a gateway barrier for preventing the entry of life-threatening pathogens and toxins. Dietary amino acids are major fuels for the small intestinal mucosa and important substrates for syntheses of intestinal proteins, nitric oxide, polyamines, and other products with enormous biological importance. Therefore, amino acid metabolism is obligatory for maintaining intestinal mass, function, and integrity. Moreover, given that the intestine is colonized by dense and highly complex bacteria, the interplay between amino acids and gut bacteria has important impacts on intestinal health. A growing body of evidence is accumulating to show potential therapeutic roles for specific amino acids (including glutamine, glutamate, arginine, glycine, lysine, threonine, and sulfur-containing amino acids) in gut-related diseases. However, the underlying mechanism(s) where amino acids exerted beneficial effects on intestinal health is(are) remains largely unknown.

This Research Topic highlights the advances in the nutritional regulation of amino acids on intestinal health with the underlying mechanisms and aims to fill the gaps in the knowledge of amino acid nutrition, including the impact of amino acids on the intestinal barrier, absorption, immune function, and their interplay with the luminal microbe. The interactions between enteral amino acids, enterocytes, and gut bacteria are also involved. These are conducive to treat gut diseases through enteral or parenteral amino acid nutrition.

This Research Topic welcomes, but is not limited to, the following themes:

• Amino acid signaling in the intestine
• Amino acids and intestinal growth
• Amino acids and intestinal barrier
• Amino acids and gut immunity
• Amino acids and gut bacteria
• Amino acids and gut diseases