Metabolism of amino acids and type 2 diabetes mellitus

Amino acids (AA) as substrates of gluconeogenesis could promote endogenous glucose production.Some AA can enhance insulin secretion. Recently,many studies have found that some AA can also activate mammalian target of rapamycin-S6 kinase 1 ( mTOR-S6K1 ) pathway,resulting in maintaining pancreatic β cell function on one hand,and on the other hand,inhibiting insulin signal transduction of insulin-sensitive cells and thus causing insulin resistance. Key words: Amino acids; Diabetes mellitus, type 2; Mammalian target of rapamycin-S6 kinase 1