title: Structure-activity relationships of arginine analogues on nitric oxide synthase activity in the rat brain.
abstract: Nitric oxide (NO) is synthesized by nitric oxide synthase (NOS) from L-arginine (Arg) which has a guanidino group in its molecule. We examined the effect of 23 different Arg analogues on NOS activity in the rat brain. Though homoarginine, epsilon-guanidinocaproic acid and canavanine act as substrates of NOS, production of NO from them was lower than that from Arg. alpha-Guanidinoglutaric acid (2-GGA) and arcaine inhibited NOS activity at levels equal to NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (MeArg), a well known NOS inhibitor. Though almost all previously reported NOS inhibitors were synthesized by substituting the guanidino nitrogen of Arg, the guanidino nitrogens of arcaine and 2-GGA were not substituted. Furthermore, 2-GGA is a known endogenous convulsant in mammals, and arcaine, which was isolated from a marine mollusc, is also a convulsive substance. Hence, 2-GGA and arcaine will be excellent drugs to investigate not only the chemical nature of NOS but also the physiologic function of NO.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Okayama University Medical School, Japan.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Yokoi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kabuto
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Habu
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Inada
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Toma
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mori
mesh_terms: D000594:Amino Acid Oxidoreductases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D000818:Animals; D001120:Arginine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology*; D008297:Male; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000096:biosynthesis; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship
chemical_list: D009569:Nitric Oxide; D001120:Arginine; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D000594:Amino Acid Oxidoreductases