Oral L-arginine improves endothelium-dependent dilation in hypercholesterolemic young adults

In hypercholesterolemic rabbits, oral L-arginine (the substrate for endothelium derived nitric oxide) attenuates endothelial dysfunction and atheroma formation, but the effect in hypercholesterolemic humans is unknown. Using high resolution external ultrasound, we studied arterial physiology in 27 h...

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Veröffentlicht in:The Journal of clinical investigation 1996-04, Vol.97 (8), p.1989-1994
Hauptverfasser: Clarkson, P, Adams, M R, Powe, A J, Donald, A E, McCredie, R, Robinson, J, McCarthy, S N, Keech, A, Celermajer, D S, Deanfield, J E
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Sprache:eng
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Zusammenfassung:In hypercholesterolemic rabbits, oral L-arginine (the substrate for endothelium derived nitric oxide) attenuates endothelial dysfunction and atheroma formation, but the effect in hypercholesterolemic humans is unknown. Using high resolution external ultrasound, we studied arterial physiology in 27 hypercholesterolemic subjects aged 29+/-5 (19-40) years, with known endothelial dysfunction and LDL-cholesterol levels of 238+/-43 mg/dl. Each subject was studied before and after 4 wk of L-arginine (7 grams x 3/day) or placebo powder, with 4 wk washout, in a randomized double-blind crossover study. Brachial artery diameter was measured at rest, during increased flow (causing endothelium-dependent dilation, EDD) and after sublingual glyceryl trinitrate (causing endothelium-independent dilation). After oral L-arginine, plasma L-arginine levels rose from 115+/-103 to 231+/-125 micromol/liter (P
ISSN:0021-9738
DOI:10.1172/JCI118632