Polyamines in Human Diseases

Dear Colleagues,

Polyamines and their precursor, putrescine, which are essential for the growth and development of all living organisms, have diverse physiological activities. We have collected studies investigating the involvement of polyamines in human and mammalian health and disease. The activation of polyamine-degrading enzymes with aging and disease and the associated production of aldehydes are implicated in tissue damage. Zahedi et al. demonstrated that polyamine-degrading enzymes and their degradation products are involved in cisplatin-induced renal injury. Polyamine deficiency is known to exert anti-tumor effects. Alexander et al. studied the antitumor effects of polyamine deficiency with a focus on general control nonderepressible 2 (GCN2), which plays an important role in tumor survival and progression, suggesting that GCN2 is at least partially responsible for the antitumor effects of polyamine deficiency. Sanayama et al. showed a negative correlation between the blood spermine/spermidine ratio and the progression of sarcopenia in the elderly. Sarcopenia is a skeletal muscle disorder that develops with aging and adversely affects health. While polyamine-rich diets increase blood spermine, which contributes to reduced aging and increased longevity, changes in polyamine levels in the progression of sarcopenia and reduced aging are the exact opposite. The gut microbiota is a major source of polyamines. Using Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, one of the most dominant species in the human gut microbiota, Shimokawa et al. demonstrated the importance of N-carbamoylptoresin amidohydrolase (NCPAH), a biosynthetic enzyme that converts N-carbamoylptoresin to putrescine. Polyamines are essential for cell proliferation and differentiation, and their relationship to aging has been elucidated. Ríos et al. investigated age-related differences in the expression of polyamines in the rat retina and found that expression was observed in all cells during development, but its presence gradually became more localized with age. The results of all these studies have made a significant contribution to clarifying the role of polyamines.

Dr. Kuniyasu Soda
Guest Editor

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• polyamine
• spermidine
• spermine
• health
• disease
• development