Summary.
Recently, we observed that central administration of l-arginine attenuated stress responses in neonatal chicks, but the contribution of nitric oxide (NO) to this response was minimal. The sedative and hypnotic effects of l-arginine may be due to l-arginine itself and/or its metabolites, excluding NO. To clarify the mechanism, the effect of intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection of l-arginine metabolites on behavior under social separation stress was investigated. The i.c.v. injection of agmatine, a guanidino metabolite of l-arginine, had no effect during a 10 min behavioral test. In contrast, the i.c.v. injection of l-ornithine clearly attenuated the stress response in a dose-dependent manner, and induced sleep-like behavior. The l-ornithine concentration in the telencephalon and diencephalon increased following the i.c.v. injection of l-arginine. In addition, several free amino acids including L-alanine, glycine, l-proline and l-glutamic acid concentrations increased in the telencephalon. In conclusion, it appears that l-ornithine, produced by arginase from l-arginine in the brain, plays an important role in the sedative and hypnotic effects of l-arginine observed during a stress response. In addition, several other amino acids having a sedative effect might partly participate in the sedative and hypnotic effects of l-arginine.
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Authors’ address: M. Furuse, PhD, Laboratory of Advanced Animal and Marine Bioresources, Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 812-8581, Japan
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Suenaga, R., Yamane, H., Tomonaga, S. et al. Central l-arginine reduced stress responses are mediated by l-ornithine in neonatal chicks. Amino Acids 35, 107–113 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00726-007-0617-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00726-007-0617-x