Bonilla · Nutrients 2021 · bioinformatics-assisted narrative review · n=?

Metabolic Basis of Creatine in Health and Disease: A Bioinformatics-Assisted Review.

Cited 183 times in the scientific literature.

Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data

Narrative review and mechanistic synthesis without primary clinical data.

PubMed 33918657 · doi:10.3390/nu13041238 · record verified 2026-08-31

What was done

This was a bioinformatics-assisted narrative review utilizing public databases, repositories, and bioinformatics tools. The authors synthesized literature to address mechanistic questions regarding cellular creatine uptake via Na+/Cl--dependent transporters, creatine kinase (CK)/phosphocreatine (PCr) system compartmentalization, cellular bioenergetics, and tissue-specific metabolic roles.

What was found

The abstract provides no numerical or statistical data. It describes the biochemistry of creatine transphosphorylation catalyzed by CK to generate PCr and ADP, proposing that the CK/PCr system acts as a dynamic biosensor based on chemo-mechanical energy transduction essential for cellular allostasis.

Why it matters

The paper outlines a unified biochemical and bioinformatic framework for how creatine metabolism supports cellular function and why its disruption contributes to various pathologies.

Limits

This is a narrative review with no primary empirical human data, quantitative meta-analysis, or reported sample sizes in the abstract.

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