Conclusions
Although further investigations of the effect of BCAA on human astrocytes with hyperammonemia are needed, our work demonstrates that BCAA supplementation has direct negative effects on astrocyte survival and intracellular metabolism.
Methods
We performed cytotoxicity and cell proliferation tests on astrocytes following BCAA treatment with and without ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) and then compared the
Results
The astrocytes showed increased leakage of intracellular lactate dehydrogenase and reduced proliferation rate upon BCAA treatment. Interestingly, our analysis showed a BCAA-induced impairment of intracellular glycolysis/glyconeogenesis as well as amino acid and butyric acid metabolism. Furthermore, BCAA treatment was found to cause decreased levels of Glut-1 and phosphorylated GSK-3β and mTOR in astrocytes. Conclusions: Although further investigations of the effect of BCAA on human astrocytes with hyperammonemia are needed, our work demonstrates that BCAA supplementation has direct negative effects on astrocyte survival and intracellular metabolism.