glycine

Glycine (Cly) is a natural amino acid neurotransmitter that acts as a co-agonist at Glutamate [NMDA] receptors in the brain and is an activator of glycine receptors, GLRA1-3, GLRB. The abnormal Gly levels have been implicated in neuropsychiatric disorders. Alterations in Gly levels are implicated in several diseases of the central nervous system. Glycine was studied in phase II of clinical trials in patients with schizophrenia. The results have shown that using of glycine was associated with reduced symptoms with promising effect sizes and a possibility of improvement in cognitive function. Besides, glycine was also studied in clinical trials phase II in children with cystic fibrosis. The clinical, spirometric and inflammatory status of subjects with cystic fibrosis improved after just 8 weeks of glycine intake, suggesting that this amino acid might constitute a novel therapeutic tool for these patients. In addition, Gly was proposed as a biomarker for brain tumor malignancy. Glycine is a component of a nutrients mixture for peripheral administration to well-nourished mildly catabolic adult patients who require only short-term parenteral nutrition. — NCATS