Leucine (inci)

"Leucine" (from the Greek λευκός = white - leucine crystallizes in white platelets) refers to the proteinogenic amino acid leucine, which is essential for humans and plays a central role in the energy balance in muscle tissue. Leucine is grouped with isoleucine and valine to form the branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs = Branched Chain Amino Acids). Alongside methionine and cystine, it is an important component of hair keratin. It is coded via the codons UUA, UUG, CUU, CUC, CUA and CUG.

Leucine - bound in peptides - is a component of animal and plant proteins. The following are particularly rich in leucine (percentage of total protein): raw beef (8.0 %), hen's egg (8.6 %), wholemeal maize flour (12.3 %) and unhulled rice (8.3 %). Leucine deficiency is caused either by inadequate dietary intake or by vitamin B6 hypovitaminosis.

Medicine: In the rare "branched-chain decarboxylase deficiency syndrome" of maple syrup disease (E71.0), a genetic defect in the decarboxylase of alpha-keto acids leads to an accumulation of the three branched-chain amino acids leucine, isoleucine and valine in the blood and urine.

Cosmetics: Leucine is used in cosmetic formulations. Here it acts as an antistatic agent (reduces static charges by neutralizing the electrical charge on the surface of e.g. hair), hair conditioning agent (makes the hair easy to comb, smooth, soft and shiny and gives it volume) and skin care product.