title: Effects of L-arginine on endothelial and cardiac function in rats with heart failure.
abstract: We examined the effects of chronic oral L-arginine treatment on endothelial and cardiovascular function in rats with heart failure induced by coronary artery ligation. Both heart failure and sham-operated rats were treated with either L-arginine in drinking water (12.5 or 50 g/l) or water placebo for 8 weeks following surgery. Plasma L-arginine levels in heart failure rats (153 +/- 11 microM) were lower than sham rats (201 +/- 13 microM, P < 0.05). The lower dose L-arginine treatment improved endothelium-dependent relaxation of isolated aortic rings of heart failure rats, while the higher dose of L-arginine treatment did not. Neither low nor high dose of L-arginine treatment improved hemodynamic parameters in heart failure rats. Thus, chronic oral L-arginine treatment at a dose of 12.5 g/l in drinking water improves endothelium-dependent relaxation, but fails to improve in vivo cardiac function in rats with heart failure.
authors.affiliation: London Health Sciences Centre Research Inc., Department of Medicine, University of Western Ontario, Canada. qfeng@julian.uwo.ca
authors.forename: Q
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Fortin
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Arnold
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Arnold
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology; D001120:Arginine / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000150:complications; D009566:Nitrates / Q000097:blood; D009573:Nitrites / Q000097:blood; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014664:Vasodilation / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D009566:Nitrates; D009573:Nitrites; D001120:Arginine