title: Impact of L-arginine on hydrogen sulfide/cystathionine-gamma-lyase pathway in rats with high blood flow-induced pulmonary hypertension.
abstract: The present study was designed to explore the possible effect of L-arginine on endogenous hydrogen sulfide/cystathionine-gamma-lyase (H(2)S/CSE) pathway in the pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary vascular structural remodeling induced by high pulmonary blood flow. Thirty-two male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into control group (n=11), shunt group (n=11) and shunt with L-arginine group (n=10). Rats in the shunt and shunt with L-arginine group underwent an abdominal aorta-inferior cava vein shunt operation. After 11 weeks of shunting, the plasma level of H2S and lung tissue H2S production rate in the shunt with L-arginine group were much higher than those in the shunt group (P<0.01). Meanwhile, the expression of CSE mRNA in the lung tissues of rats in the shunt with L-arginine group was increased significantly (P<0.01), and in situ hybridization showed that CSE mRNA expression was obviously up-regulated in the smooth muscle cells (SMCs) of the pulmonary arteries of shunted rats treated with L-arginine when compared with shunted rats without the treatment of L-arginine (P<0.01). In conclusion, H2S/CSE pathway was up-regulated by L-arginine in pulmonary hypertension induced by high blood flow with the attenuation of pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary vascular structural remodeling.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, PR China.
authors.forename: Wang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yanfei
authors.forename: Shi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Du
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Junbao
authors.forename: Tang
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chaoshu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001120:Arginine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000187:drug effects; D003542:Cystathionine gamma-Lyase / Q000378:metabolism*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006862:Hydrogen Sulfide / Q000378:metabolism*; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D011652:Pulmonary Circulation / Q000187:drug effects; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D001120:Arginine; D003542:Cystathionine gamma-Lyase; D006862:Hydrogen Sulfide