Polyamines in foods

Abstract

Putrescine (diamine), spermidine (triamine) and spermine (tetramine) are the most abundant polycatioanic natural amines. Putrescine and spermidine are found in nearly all organisms, while spermine is mainly found in eukaryotic cells. They are involved in the regulation of gene expression, translation, cell proliferation and differentiation, DNA, RNA and protein synthesis in mammallian cells. They can be supplied by endogenous synthesis inside the cell or intake from exogenous sources. Polyamines are critical for all types of cellular proliferation and for the continuation of life in all cell types. An increased need of dietary polyamines is suggested during rapid growth, such as neonatal period, wound healing and after surgery. However, it was also shown that the high levels of intracellular polyamines correlate with various human cancers. The limited exogenous polyamines emerges as a promising strategy in tumour therapy. There is a growing body of literature related to the effects of bioactive amines on health and diseases, but limited information about polyamine contents of food and human milk is available especially for diets in Turkey. Reliable information on polyamine content in foods is needed for dieticians. In this review, polyamine content of foods, especially vegetables, fruits, mother milk, meat and diary products, and requirement of daily intake were summarised based on the literature.