γ-Glu-Phe (trifluoroacetate salt) (Synonyms: γ-Glutamylphenylalanine)

γ-Glu-Phe is an endogenous dipeptide that is composed of L-glutamic acid and L-phenylalanine and has also been found in Allium.¹ It prevents increases in lipid accumulation in AML12 hepatocytes stimulated with oleic acid when used at a concentration of 30 µM. γ-Glu-Phe (2.5-10 mM) increases levels of the calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR) and secretion of cholecystokinin (CCK) and glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) in STC-1 enteroendocrine cells.² Changes in urine levels of γ-Glu-Phe are associated with hypertension and phenylketonuria (PKU) and changes in serum levels are associated with prostate cancer.^3,4,5

1.Lee, Y.G., Cho, J.-Y., Hwang, E.J., et al.Glu-Phe from onion (Allium Cepa L.) attenuates lipogenesis in hepatocytesBiosci. Biotech. Biochem.81(7)1409-1416(2017) 2.Yang, J., Bai, W., Zeng, X., et al.γ-[Glu](n=1,2)-Phe/-Met/-Val stimulates gastrointestinal hormone (CCK and GLP-1) secretion by activating the calcium-sensing receptorFood Funct.10(7)4071-4080(2019) 3.Shi, M., He, J., Li, C., et al.Metabolomics study of blood pressure salt-sensitivity and hypertensionNutr. Metab. Cardiovasc. Dis.32(7)1681-1692(2022) 4.Peck, H., and Pollitt, R.J.The occurrence of γ-glutamylphenylalanine in the urine of newborn phenylketonuricsClin. Chim. Acta94(3)237-240(1979) 5.Huang, J., Mondul, A.M., Weinstein, S.J., et al.Serum metabolomic profiling of prostate cancer risk in the prostate, lung, colorectal, and ovarian cancer screening trialBr. J. Cancer115(9)1087-1095(2016)