[SHINE]

J Biochem (Tokyo) 2002 Oct, 132(4):543-50

Creatine plays a direct role as a protein modifier in the formation of a novel advanced glycation end product.
Miyazaki K, Nagai R. Horiuchi S
Department of biochemistry, Kumamoto University School of medicine.

Pentosidine, a cross-link structure between, lysine and arginine residues, is one of the major advanced glycation end products (AGE).
It is formed by the reaction of ribose with lysine and arginine. The pentosidine concentration produced by in virto incubation of plasma obtained from uremic patients was reported to be higher than in normal plasma, indicating that uremic plasama contains an enhancer (s) for pentosidine formation. [Miyata,T.ueda Y. Yamada, Yizuhara Y, Wada, T. Jadoul.m Saito A. Kurokawak. and Strihou, C.y.
(1998) J.AM. Soc. Nephrol. 9. 2349-2356]
Since our preliminary study using a monoclonal anti-pentosidine antibody identified creatine as the most effective enhancer, the purpose of the present study was to clarify the mechanisim by which creatine contributes to pentosidine formation. Lysine was incubated with ribose in the presence of creatine and analyzed by reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography.
A novel flurescent peak (lambda(ex/em)=335/385nm) was detected at 8 min under conditions at which the authentic pentosidine (lysine was incubated with ribose in the presence of arginine under identical conditions) eluted at 12 min.
Structural analyses of this compound revealed a pentosidine-like structure in which the argine residue was replaced by creatine. This novel AGE-structure, named vere creatine-derived pentosidine (C-pentosidine), was detected in the plasma of patients on hemodialysis. These results indicate that creatine increases the formation of C-pentosidine but not authentic pentosidine. This study indicates that creatine plays a direct role as a protein modifier in C-pentosidine formation although the clincal significance of C-pentosidine is still unknown.

(interesting but somewhat confusing?)

Creatine is definately a important part of protein uptake?