Published : 29 September 2025

Mythbusting The Effect of BCAA on Wound Healing

  • Ferdian Tanaka
  • Shaza Nathasya Sandakh
  • Geovan Hananto
  • Antonius Setiadi

Volume 12, Issue 2, Jurnal Plastik Rekonstruksi | Pages : 62-69

DOI: 10.14228/jprjournal.v12i2.24   Reader : 16 times PDF Download : 5 times

Abstract

Nutrition plays a crucial role in the wound-healing process. Nutrition deficiencies can hinder the wound healing process and prolong the recovery period turning the wound into a chronic wound. One nutrient that is rarely discussed is BCAA (Branched Chain Amino Acid). BCAA are essential amino acids that are believed to accelerate the wound healing process. This study aims to investigate the effects of BCAA on the wound healing process. Studies have shown that BCAAs can increase serum albumin levels by preventing the formation of mRNA-PTB (Polypyrimidine Tract-Binding Protein) in liver cells, which activates and accelerates the wound healing process. Administering BCAA as a single treatment is not optimal; therefore, combined therapy with other essential amino acids is necessary. BCAAs can be administered orally, enterally, parenterally, and topically.

Data Availability

All data generated during this study are included in this published article [and its supplementary information files].

References

  1. 1. Almadani YH, Vorstenbosch J, Davison PG, Murphy AM. Wound Healing: A Comprehensive Review. Semin Plast Surg. 2021 Aug;35(3):141–4.
  2. 2. Chhabra S, Chhabra N, Kaur A, Gupta N. Wound Healing Concepts in Clinical Practice of OMFS. J Maxillofac Oral Surg. 2017 Dec;16(4):403–23.
  3. 3. Williams JZ, Barbul A. Nutrition and Wound Healing. Crit Care Nurs Clin North Am. 2012 Jun;24(2):179–200.
  4. 4. Khoirunnisa AA, Mustafa A, Rahman N. Effect of Giving Snakehead Fish Extract (Channa striata) on Albumin Levels, Neutrophil, and Lymphocyte in Hypoalbuminemia Patients. 2022;01(02).
  5. 5. Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Nutrition T, Erdman J, Oria M, Pillsbury L. Branched-Chain Amino Acids. In: Nutrition and Traumatic Brain Injury: Improving Acute and Subacute Health Outcomes in Military Personnel [Internet]. National Academies Press (US); 2011 [cited 2024 Mar 20]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK209312/
  6. 6. Yk M, Yh L, Hc L, Ch J, Cc C, Sh L. Effect of Branched-Chain Amino Acids on Wound Healing in Patients with Diabetic Foot Ulcers. Plast Surg. 2023;7.
  7. 7. Wang PH, Huang BS, Horng HC, Yeh CC, Chen YJ. Wound healing. J Chin Med Assoc. 2018 Feb;81(2):94–101.
  8. 8. Anderson K, Hamm RL. Factors That Impair Wound Healing. J Am Coll Clin Wound Spec. 2012 Dec;4(4):84–91.
  9. 9. Gonzalez AC de O, Costa TF, Andrade Z de A, Medrado ARAP. Wound healing - A literature review. An Bras Dermatol. 2016;91(5):614–20.
  10. 10. Buchanan PJ, Kung TA, Cederna PS. Evidence-Based Medicine: Wound Closure. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2016 Sep;138(3S):257S-270S.
  11. 11. Janis JE, Harrison B. Wound Healing: Part I. Basic Science. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2016 Sep;138(3S):9S-17S.
  12. 12. Grada A, Phillips TJ. Nutrition and cutaneous wound healing. Clin Dermatol. 2022 Mar;40(2):103–13.
  13. 13. Dryden SV, Shoemaker WG, Kim JH. Wound Management and Nutrition for Optimal Wound Healing. Atlas Oral Maxillofac Surg Clin. 2013 Mar;21(1):37–47.
  14. 14. De Albuquerque PBS, Rodrigues NER, Silva PMDS, De Oliveira WF, Correia MTDS, Coelho LCBB. The Use of Proteins, Lipids, and Carbohydrates in the Management of Wounds. Molecules. 2023 Feb 7;28(4):1580.
  15. 15. Stechmiller JK. Understanding the Role of Nutrition and Wound Healing. Nutr Clin Pract. 2010 Feb;25(1):61–8.
  16. 16. Campos V, Tappy L, Bally L, Sievenpiper JL, Lê KA. Importance of Carbohydrate Quality: What Does It Mean and How to Measure It? J Nutr. 2022 May;152(5):1200–6.
  17. 17. Ghaly P, Iliopoulos J, Ahmad M. The role of nutrition in wound healing: an overview. Br J Nurs. 2021 Mar 11;30(5):S38–42.
  18. 18. Hokynková A, Nováková M, Babula P, Sedláčková M, Paulová H, Hlaváčová M, et al. Fatty Acid Supplementation Affects Skin Wound Healing in a Rat Model. Nutrients. 2022 May 27;14(11):2245.
  19. 19. Morita S ya, Ikeda Y. Regulation of membrane phospholipid biosynthesis in mammalian cells. Biochem Pharmacol. 2022 Dec;206:115296.
  20. 20. Stevens SL. Fat-Soluble Vitamins. Nurs Clin North Am. 2021 Mar;56(1):33–45.
  21. 21. Zinder R, Cooley R, Vlad LG, Molnar JA. Vitamin A and Wound Healing. Nutr Clin Pract. 2019 Dec;34(6):839–49.
  22. 22. Barchitta M, Maugeri A, Favara G, Magnano San Lio R, Evola G, Agodi A, et al. Nutrition and Wound Healing: An Overview Focusing on the Beneficial Effects of Curcumin. Int J Mol Sci. 2019 Mar 5;20(5):1119.
  23. 23. Moores J. Vitamin C: a wound healing perspective. Br J Community Nurs. 2013 Dec 1;18(Sup12):S6–11.
  24. 24. Yarahmadi A, Saeed Modaghegh MH, Mostafavi-Pour Z, Azarpira N, Mousavian A, Bonakdaran S, et al. The effect of platelet-rich plasma-fibrin glue dressing in combination with oral vitamin E and C for treatment of non-healing diabetic foot ulcers: a randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, clinical trial. Expert Opin Biol Ther. 2021 May 4;21(5):687–96.
  25. 25. Lin J, Mo X, Yang Y, Tang C, Chen J. Association between vitamin D deficiency and diabetic foot ulcer wound in diabetic subjects: A meta‐analysis. Int Wound J. 2023 Jan;20(1):55–62.
  26. 26. Siregar FD, Hidayat W. The Role of Vitamin D on the Wound Healing Process: A Case Series. Int Med Case Rep J. 2023 Apr;Volume 16:227–32.
  27. 27. Halder M, Petsophonsakul P, Akbulut A, Pavlic A, Bohan F, Anderson E, et al. Vitamin K: Double Bonds beyond Coagulation Insights into Differences between Vitamin K1 and K2 in Health and Disease. Int J Mol Sci. 2019 Feb 19;20(4):896.
  28. 28. Tang S, Ruan Z, Ma A, Wang D, Kou J. Effect of vitamin K on wound healing: A systematic review and meta-analysis based on preclinical studies. Front Pharmacol. 2022 Dec 2;13:1063349.
  29. 29. Wang X, Yu Z, Zhou S, Shen S, Chen W. The Effect of a Compound Protein on Wound Healing and Nutritional Status. Tebyaniyan H, editor. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2022 Mar 24;2022:1–12.
  30. 30. Rodriguez NA, Jeschke MG, Williams FN, Kamolz L, Herndon DN. Nutrition in Burns: Galveston Contributions. J Parenter Enter Nutr. 2011 Nov;35(6):704–14.
  31. 31. Chu AS, Delmore B. Arginine: What You Need to Know for Pressure Injury Healing. Adv Skin Wound Care. 2021 Dec;34(12):630–6.
  32. 32. Arribas-López E, Zand N, Ojo O, Snowden MJ, Kochhar T. The Effect of Amino Acids on Wound Healing: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on Arginine and Glutamine. Nutrients. 2021 Jul 22;13(8):2498.
  33. 33. Hung SY, Tsai JS, Yeh JT, Chen KH, Lin CN, Yang HM, et al. Amino acids and wound healing in people with limb-threatening diabetic foot ulcers. J Diabetes Complications. 2019 Oct;33(10):107403.
  34. 34. Thomson RL, Buckley JD. Protein hydrolysates and tissue repair. Nutr Res Rev. 2011 Dec;24(2):191–7.
  35. 35. Rosyidi RM, Januarman, Priyanto B, Islam AA, Hatta M, Bukhari A. The Effect of Snakehead Fish (Channa striata) Extract Capsule to the Albumin Serum Level of Post-operative Neurosurgery Patients. Biomed Pharmacol J. 2019 Jun 25;12(2):893–9.
  36. 36. Wang X, Proud CG. mTORC1 signaling: what we still don’t know. J Mol Cell Biol. 2011 Aug;3(4):206–20.
  37. 37. Kuwahata M, Yoshimura T, Sawai Y, Amano S, Tomoe Y, Segawa H, et al. Localization of polypyrimidine-tract-binding protein is involved in the regulation of albumin synthesis by branched-chain amino acids in HepG2 cells. J Nutr Biochem. 2008 Jul;19(7):438–47.
  38. 38. Marchesini G, Bianchi G, Merli M, Amodio P, Panella C, Loguercio C, et al. Nutritional supplementation with branched-chain amino acids in advanced cirrhosis: a double-blind, randomized trial. Gastroenterology. 2003 Jun;124(7):1792–801.
  39. 39. Rajendram R, Preedy VR, Patel VB, editors. Branched Chain Amino Acids in Clinical Nutrition: Volume 2 [Internet]. New York, NY: Springer New York; 2015 [cited 2024 Mar 25]. Available from: https://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-1-4939-1914-7
  40. 40. Murakami H, Shimbo K, Takino Y, Kobayashi H. Combination of BCAAs and glutamine enhances dermal collagen protein synthesis in protein-malnourished rats. Amino Acids. 2013 Mar;44(3):969–76.
  41. 41. Crozier SJ, Kimball SR, Emmert SW, Anthony JC, Jefferson LS. Oral leucine administration stimulates protein synthesis in rat skeletal muscle. J Nutr. 2005 Mar;135(3):376–82.
  42. 42. Montoya A, Gómez-Lechón MJ, Castell JV. Influence of Branched-Chain Amino Acid Composition of Culture Media on the Synthesis of Plasma Proteins by Serum-Free Cultured Rat Hepatocytes. In Vitro Cell Dev Biol. 1989;25(4):358–64.
  43. 43. Zhang XJ, Chinkes DL, Wolfe RR. Leucine supplementation has an anabolic effect on proteins in rabbit skin wound and muscle. J Nutr. 2004 Dec;134(12):3313–8.
  44. 44. Murakami H, Shimbo K, Inoue Y, Takino Y, Kobayashi H. Importance of amino acid composition to improve skin collagen protein synthesis rates in UV-irradiated mice. Amino Acids. 2012 Jun;42(6):2481–9.
  45. 45. Nair HK, Chong SS. Evaluating the efficacy of protein-based nutritional supplements in patients with chronic wounds: a pilot study. Case Rep. 2020;3(3).
  46. 46. Moss G, Koblenz G. Postoperative positive nitrogen balance: effects on wound and plasma protein synthesis. Surg Forum. 1970;21:71–3.
  47. 47. Moss G, Bierenbaum A, Bova F, Slavin JA. Postoperative metabolic patterns following immediate total nutritional support: hormone levels, DNA synthesis, nitrogen balance, and accelerated wound healing. J Surg Res. 1976 Dec;21(6):383–93.
  48. 48. CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL EFFECTS OF IMMEDIATE POSTCOLECTOMY... : Critical Care Medicine [Internet]. [cited 2024 Mar 31]. Available from: https://journals.lww.com/ccmjournal/citation/1984/03000/clinical_and_experimental_effects_of_immediate.23.aspx
  49. 49. Choudry HA, Pan M, Karinch AM, Souba WW. Branched-chain amino acid-enriched nutritional support in surgical and cancer patients. J Nutr. 2006 Jan;136(1 Suppl):314S-8S.
  50. 50. Delany HM, Teh E, Dwarka B, Levenson SM. Infusion of Enteral vs Parenteral Nutrients Using High‐Concentration Branch‐Chain Amino Acids: Effect on Wound Healing in the Postoperative Rat. J Parenter Enter Nutr. 1991 Jul;15(4):464–8.
  51. 51. Topical application of dressing with amino acids improves cutaneous wound healing in aged rats - PubMed [Internet]. [cited 2024 Mar 27]. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19560799/
  52. 52. Elango R. Tolerable Upper Intake Level for Individual Amino Acids in Humans: A Narrative Review of Recent Clinical Studies. Adv Nutr. 2023 Jul;14(4):885–94.
  53. 53. Holeček M. Side Effects of Amino Acid Supplements. Physiol Res. 2022 Mar 22;29–45.
PDF

Keywords

  • Nutrition
  • BCAA
  • Wound Healing
  • Protein
  • Amino acid

Author Information

Ferdian Tanaka

Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia.

Email: ferdiantanaka@gmail.com

ORCID : https://orcid.org/0009-0003-3883-0480

Shaza Nathasya Sandakh

Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia.

Email: shazasandakh@gmail.com

ORCID : https://orcid.org/0009-0004-5089-4070

Geovan Hananto

Brawijaya University , Indonesia.

Email: geovan.hananto@gmail.com

ORCID : https://orcid.org/0009-0005-6156-8868

Antonius Setiadi

Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia.

Email: antonius.setiadi69@gmail.com

ORCID : https://orcid.org/0009-0009-4300-4822

Article History

Submitted : 4 February 2025
Revised : 10 June 2025
Published : 29 September 2025

How to Cite This

Tanaka, F., Sandakh, S. N., Hananto, G., & Setiadi, A. (2025). Mythbusting The Effect of BCAA on Wound Healing. Jurnal Plastik Rekonstruksi, 12(2), 62–69. https://doi.org/10.14228/jprjournal.v12i2.24

Crossmark and Dimension

Verify authenticity via CrossMark

Share This Article

Copyright & License

Authors retain the copyright of the article and grant Jurnal Plastik Rekonstruksi the right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. Articles opting for open access will be immediately available and permanently free for everyone to read, download and share from the time of publication.

This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

Open Access Statement

Jurnal Plastik Rekonstruksi is an open access journal. This journal provides immediate open access to every article on the principle that making research freely accessible to the public; It supports a greater global exchange of knowledge; and an invaluable way to boost the visibility and impact of research.

This also means that Jurnal Plastik Rekonstruksi it's free availability on the public Internet, permitting any users to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of these articles, crawl them for indexing, pass them as data to software, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without financial, legal, or technical barriers other than that inseparable from gaining access to the Internet itself.

Journal Info

Profile Image
Editor-in-Chief: dr. Narottama Tunjung, Sp.B.P.R.E., F.L.
Frequency: 2 issues per year (March & September)
National Accreditation: Sinta 3
Email: info@jprjournal.com

Video Article

Multistages Aesthetic Refinement Post Anterolateral Thigh Free Flap in Head and Neck Reconstruction

Atmodiwirjo P, Ramadan MR, Triatmoko SE, Arina MN. Multistages Aesthetic Refinement Post Anterolateral Thigh Free Flap in Head and Neck Reconstruction. J Plast Rekons 2020;7(1):38-42. DOI: https://doi.org/10.14228/jpr.v7i1.298

How to Harvest The Radial Forearm Free Flap

Atmodiwirjo P, Ramadan MR, Triatmoko SE, Ralena NA. How to Harvest Radial Forearm Free Flap. J Plast Rekons 2020;7(1):7-9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.14228/jpr.v7i1.296  

ACCREDITATION

Since October 2020, Jurnal Plastik Rekonstruksi has received Accreditation from the Ministry of Technology Research / National Research and Innovation Agency (SINTA 3)

https://sinta.ristekbrin.go.id/journals/detail?id=2054

Indexed by:

   

.    

custom_header

ISSN : 2089-6492
Online ISSN : 2089-9734
Publisher: The Lingkar Studi Bedah Plastik Foundation and is the official journal of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery Residency Program, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia.

Current Issue