Branched-chain organic acidemias

Fig. 3.2.5 Profiles of acylcarnitines as their butyl esters in plasma (precursor of m/z 85 scan) of a normal control (a) and patients with various organic acidemias. Propionylcarnitine (C> m/z 274 peak 3) is the primary marker for both propionic acidemia (b) and methylmalonic acidemias (c). Note that an elevation of methylmalonylcarnitine (C4-UC m/z 374) is not typically found in patients with methylmalonic acidemias. In the three cases of ethylmalonic encephalopathy (d) analyzed in our laboratory, elevations of ,- (m/z 288 peak 4) and C5-acylcarnitine (m/z 302 peak 5) species were noted. Isolated C5-acylcarnitine elevations are encountered in patients with isovaleric acidemia (e), where it represents isovalerylcarnitine. Cs-Acylcarnitine is also elevated in patients with short/branched chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency, where it represents 2-methylbutyrylcarnitine (see Fig. 3.2.4), and in patients treated with antibiotics that contain pivalic acid, where it represents pivaloylcarnitine [20, 59, 60]. Patients with /3-ketothio-lase deficiency (f) present with elevations of tiglylcarnitine (C5 i m/z 300 peak 6) and C5-OH acylcarnitine (m/z 318 peak 7). In most cases of 3-methylcrotonyl-CoA carboxylase deficiency (g) Cs-OH acylcarnitine is the only abnormal acylcarnitine species present. The differential diagnosis of C5-OH acylcarnitine elevations includes eight different conditions (Table 3.2.1). Also note that C5-OH acylcarnitine represents 3-hydroxy isovalerylcarnitine in 3-methylcrotonyl-CoA carboxylase deficiency (g), and 2-methyl 3-hydroxy butyrylcarnitine in / -ketothiolase deficiency...

Organic acidemias are disorders of branched-chain amino metabolism in which non-amino organic acids accumulate in serum and urine. 

The inborn errors of L-leucine catabolism present biochemically with branched-chain amino and/or organic aciduria [1]. These disorders include maple syrup disease (MSD branched-chain a-ketoacid dehydrogenase (BCKD) deficiency), isovaleric acidemia (isovaleryl-coenzyme A (CoA) dehydrogenase deficiency), isolated 3-methylcrotonyl-CoA carboxylase deficiency, the 3-methylglutaconic acidurias (3-methylglutaconyl-CoA hydratase deficiency, Barth syndrome, and other disorders in which the primary defect has not been demonstrated), and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaric aciduria (3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA (HMG-CoA) lyase deficiency). 

---