Nucleotides participate in nearly all biochemical processes important for growth: ATP is an universal energy currency in all biological systems particularly abundant in muscles.
Adenine nucleotides are components of three major coenzymes, NAD+, FAD, and CoA. Being building blocks of the nucleic acids (DNA and RNA), nucleotides are particularly required for actively proliferating cells of immune system or intestinal epithelium.
| Nucleotides |
Cellular function
|
Biological role
|
|---|---|---|
| ATP |
Actine-myosin interaction
|
Muscle contraction
|
| NTP |
RNA synthesis (translation)
|
Protein synthesis
|
| dNTP |
DNA synthesis (replication)
|
Proliferation
|
| NAD, FAD |
Redox reactions
|
Metabolism
|
| Coenzyme A |
Krebs cycle
|
Fatty acids metabolism
|
| UDP-glucose |
Neoglycogenesis
|
Liver functions, muscle growth
|
Since nucleotides can be synthesized de novo and recycled through salvage pathways, they are considered as semi-essential nutrients.
However, rapidly growing tissues or rapidly dividing immune cells during infection have higher requirements cells for nucleotides that can not be met only through de novo synthesis. In these cases nucleotides become “essential” nutriments that can be provided with aliments and assimilated through shorter salvage pathway (2 steps) compared to de novo synthesis (9 steps for purines).
It has been shown that the supplementation of feed with dietary nucleotides :
– boosts immune system, enhances immunity and resistance to bacterial infections;
– accelerates intestinal recovery after diarrhoea or food deprivation;
– improves growth rate.