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Effect of L-arginine Oral Supplementation on Response to Myocardial Infarction in Hypercholesterolemic and Hypertensive Rats

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Abstract

The well known metabolic functions of L-arginine have been recently increased with the discovery of its role as the substrate for the synthesis of nitric oxide (NO), which has emerged as an endogenous signaling molecule with potential therapeutic implications for cardiovascular disease. Steady-state levels of NO are derived in part from dietary sources. It has been reported that supplementation of L-arginine reduces atherosclerosis in rabbits and reduces the arterial pressure in hypertensive rats. Therefore, we investigated the effect of L-arginine supplementation using a group of induced hypercholesterolemic rats and a group of spontaneously hypertensive rats; the infarcted area in cardiac tissue of both groups was measured during the response to myocardial infarction in the ischemia-reperfusion model. Hypercholesterolemic rats supplemented with 170 mg kg−1 of L-arginine showed a significant (P ≤ 0.05) reduction in total cholesterol (25.2%) and LDL (27.8%). Spontaneously hypertensive rats supplemented with L-arginine presented a significant reduction (20.3%) in mean blood pressure (P ≤ 0.05). The index infarcted area / total heart area, in both: hypercholesterolemic and hypertensive rats supplemented with L-arginine, showed a significant 36% and 29% of cardio protection (P ≤ 0.05) effect, respectively. Dietary supplementation with L-arginine may represent a potentially novel nutritional strategy for the treatment of cardiovascular disease.

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Abbreviations

ADMA:

Asymmetric dimethylarginine

C:

Total cholesterol

d:

day

g:

gram

HC:

Hypercholesterolemic

HCR:

Hypercholesterolemic rats

HDL:

High-density lipoprotein

IA:

Infarcted area

IA/TA:

Index infarcted area / Total heart area

AI:

Atherogenic index

I/R:

Ischemia-reperfusion injury

kg:

Kilogram

L:

Liter

LDL:

Low-density lipoproteins

MI/R:

Miocardial ischaemia reperfusion

NCR:

Normocholesterolemic rats

NO:

Nitric oxide

ONOO− :

Peroxynitrite

0 −2 :

Superoxide

NOM:

Official Mexican Regulation

NOS:

Nitric oxide synthase

NTR:

Normotensive rats

SD:

Standard desviation

SAH:

S-adenosylhomocysteine

SHR:

Spontaneously hypertensive rats

TA:

Total heart area

TG:

Triglycerides

WK:

Wistar-Kyoto rats

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Acknowledgements

Our gratitude to Alpha Program of the European Commission and to the Direction of Research (IPN-Mexico) for funding this study; to PhD Leticia Garduño Siciliano of the Preclinical Toxicology Laboratory at the National School of Biological Sciences (ENCB-IPN) and to the MS María Alejandra Guillén Orozco from the Pharmacology Department (The Superior School of Medicine-IPN).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Plan de Ayala y Prol. Carpio s/n, Col. Casco de Santo Tomás, 11340, México, D.F., México

    Verónica Piñeiro, Alicia Ortiz-Moreno, Rosalva Mora-Escobedo & Germán Chamorro-Cevallos

  2. Facultad de Química, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Paseo Colón y Paseo Tollocan, Col. Residencial Colón, 50120, Toluca, Edo. de México, México

    María Dolores Hernández-Navarro

  3. Escuela Superior de Medicina, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Salvador Díaz Mirón y Plan de San Luis, Col. Casco de Santo Tomás, 11340, México, D.F., México

    Guillermo Ceballos-Reyes

Authors
  1. Verónica Piñeiro
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  2. Alicia Ortiz-Moreno
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  3. Rosalva Mora-Escobedo
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  4. María Dolores Hernández-Navarro
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  5. Guillermo Ceballos-Reyes
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  6. Germán Chamorro-Cevallos
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alicia Ortiz-Moreno.

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In memory of Verónica Piñeiro who died before this article was completed.

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Piñeiro, V., Ortiz-Moreno, A., Mora-Escobedo, R. et al. Effect of L-arginine Oral Supplementation on Response to Myocardial Infarction in Hypercholesterolemic and Hypertensive Rats. Plant Foods Hum Nutr 65, 31–37 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11130-009-0143-y

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