title: Role of dietary l-arginine supplementation on serum parameters and intestinal enzyme activities in rats fed an excess-fat diet.
abstract: We investigated whether dietary supplementation with L-arginine, the endogenous precursor of nitric oxide, might affect serum parameter levels body weight, food intake and activities of intestinal mucosa enzymes in animals fed with a standard diet or a diet high in saturated fat for 4 weeks. Body weight and food intake were not affected by diet but relative liver weight was higher in animals receiving a high-fat diet. Total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and triglyceride levels were higher in both groups fed high-fat diet and dietary L-arginine did not affect these parameters but produced an increase in serum protein levels and a slight decrease in glycaemia. Regarding the intestinal enzyme activities, rats fed a high-fat diet plus arginine showed the lowest intestinal disaccharidase activities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain. fftamac@usc.es
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Taboada
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rodriguez
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Millán
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Míguez
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001120:Arginine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D001835:Body Weight; D004041:Dietary Fats; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004186:Disaccharidases / Q000378:metabolism; D004435:Eating; D006949:Hyperlipidemias / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D007931:Leucyl Aminopeptidase / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D011506:Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D004041:Dietary Fats; D011506:Proteins; D001120:Arginine; D004186:Disaccharidases; D007931:Leucyl Aminopeptidase