Relationship of plasma acute-phase protein to amino acid levels during high-dose branched-chain amino acid support in sepsis

Acute-phase proteins (APP) play an important role in sepsis in the regulation of the inflammatory reaction, in the host defense against bacterial invasion, and in the related host protection from autoinjury. The whole spectrum of APP action is not fully understood; however, it is well established that changes in APP levels in sepsis mostly reflect increased protein synthetic activity. Therefore, it would be helpful to have more information about the relationship of APP to amino acid (AA) dose and plasma levels. This study was performed to assess the impact of high-dose branched chain amino acid (BCAA) support on several plasma APP and on AA patterns, with their reciprocal interactions.