Oral L-arginine prevents murine coxsackievirus B3 myocarditis.
We have previously demonstrated that administration of nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibitor, N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), aggravated murine coxsackievirus B3 myocarditis. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of L-arginine, a precursor of NO, upon acute and chronic myocarditis. Dietary L-arginine and L-arginine plus L-NAME (L-arginine+L-NAME group) were administered to coxsackievirus B3 (CB3)-infected C(3)H/He mice for 2 weeks (experiment I), and to CB3-infected mice from the second week until the fourth week after virus inoculation (experiment II). Infected control was prepared in each experiment. In experiment I, survival was higher in the L-arginine group compared with the other two groups, and cardiac damage was less. In addition, plasma concentrations of L-arginine and NO were elevated in the L-arginine group. In experiment II, cardiomyopathic lesion in the L-arginine group was less prominent associated with lower plasma catecholamine and lower myocardial collagen concentrations compared with the other two groups. Thus, L-arginine treatment may be effective not only in preventing the development of acute CB3 myocarditis but in ameliorating cardiac dysfunction in chronic myocarditis.
Takada
Hitoshi
H
Second Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University, 2630 Sugitani, Japan.
Kishimoto
Chiharu
C
Hiraoka
Yuji
Y
Ochiai
Hiroshi
H
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D001120:Arginine / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003384:Coxsackievirus Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D029822:Enterovirus B, Human / Q000187:drug effects*; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D009205:Myocarditis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control*; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D015996:Survival Rate
D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D001120:Arginine; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester