Branched-chain amino acid and clinical application

Branched-chain amino acids (BCAA), which comprise leucine, isoleucine and valine, are a subgroup of essential amino acids in human. In addition to their role as basic building blocks for proteins synthesis, BCAAs also function as critical nutrient signals that modulate glycolipid metabolism, apoptosis and autophagy to exert pivotal physiological functions. Clinical and fundamental research has found that the level of serum BCAA is independently associated with diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease and heart failure. BCAAs play a critical role in the development and process of diseases. Thus, BCAA can be used as a potential biological marker in disease prediction and prognosis evaluation. Besides, BCAA can also be regarded as a novel target for clinical treatment of metabolism-related diseases, such as diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease and heart failure. In this review, we will focus on the biological functions and the influence of BCAA on diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease and heart failure. Additionally, we summarize the prospect of BCAA in climical application.