title: Quantifying the L-arginine paradox in vivo.
abstract: NO and PO(2) microelectrodes were used to quantify the effects of increased availability of L-arginine in an exteriorized rat mesentery and small intestine microcirculatory preparation in n = 16 rats. During short periods of elevated L-arginine added to the superfusion bath, transient changes in perivascular NO or PO(2) were measured at 171 perivascular sites near intestinal arterioles and venules, simultaneously with tissue perfusion using laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF). Excess L-arginine increased perivascular NO over twofold, by 411 +/- 42 nM above the baseline of 329 +/- 30 nM (P < 0.0001), and increased tissue perfusion by 35.5 +/- 7.5% (P < 0.0001). No difference between arterioles and venules was observed in the magnitude or time course of the NO responses. Both increases and decreases in perivascular PO(2) were observed after excess L-arginine, with a similar increase in tissue perfusion by 42.0 +/- 12.3% (P < 0.0001). Our NO measurements confirm that increased bioavailability of L-arginine causes a significant increase in NO production throughout the microcirculation of this preparation, with increased tissue perfusion, and provides direct in vivo evidence for the L-arginine paradox.
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
authors.forename: Nina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Vukosavljevic
authors.forename: Dov
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jaron
authors.forename: Kenneth A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Barbee
authors.forename: Donald G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Buerk
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001120:Arginine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001160:Arterioles / Q000378:metabolism; D001682:Biological Availability; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000097:blood; D017078:Laser-Doppler Flowmetry; D008297:Male; D008643:Mesentery / Q000098:blood supply; D008833:Microcirculation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology; D008839:Microelectrodes; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D010313:Partial Pressure; D010477:Perfusion; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000187:drug effects; D013997:Time Factors; D044767:Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases; D014699:Venules / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D001120:Arginine; C497205:NOSIP protein, rat; D044767:Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases; D010100:Oxygen