Increased serum and urine 3-methylhistidine in ME patients

3-metylhistidine is a breakdown product of muscle contractile proteins. Serum or urine 3-methylhistidine is used as a biomarker of muscle protein degradation (1).

Fluge et al found increased serum 3-metylhistidine in male ME patients (2).

McGregor et al found increased urine 3-metylhistidine in post-exertional malaise (PEM) ME patients (1).

Quote from McGregor et al (1):
"The findings that the PEM is associated with a loss of metabolites, reduction in acetylation, deregulation of purine metabolism, increased contractile protein breakdown and bacteremia associated with exercise suggest that treatments such as graded exercise may be more detrimental than beneficial as claimed in some studies [39,40]. Until such time as these biological changes can be further investigated, the use of graded exercise as a therapy for those with severe forms of ME/CFS should be considered potentially harmful. In support of this, the use of graded exercise therapy has caused significant protest by ME/CFS sufferers as they see it as harmful [41,42]."


Further reading about possible breakdown of skeletal muscles in ME patients :

Proline, P5C and 4-hydroxyglutamate in ME
http://followmeindenmark.blogspot.com/2020/02/proline-p5c-and-4-hydroxyglutamate-in-me.html

Increased plasma N,N,N-trimethyl-L-alanyl-L-proline betaine in ME patients
https://followmeindenmark.blogspot.com/2020/02/increased-plasma-nnn-trimethyl-l-alanyl.html



Referencer
1) McGregor et al: Post-Exertional Malaise Is Associated with Hypermetabolism, Hypoacetylation and Purine Metabolism Deregulation in ME/CFS Cases Diagnostics (Basel). 2019 Jul 4;9(3). pii: E70. doi: 10.3390/diagnostics9030070. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31277442

2) Fluge et al: Metabolic profiling indicates impaired pyruvate dehydrogenase function in myalgic encephalopathy / chronic fatigue syndrome. JCI Insight. 2016; 1(21):e89376. Doi 10.1172/jci.insight.89276