title: Endothelial dysfunction in MELAS improved by l-arginine supplementation.
abstract: The authors evaluated endothelial function in patients with MELAS (mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke) by flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD) and found a significant decrease vs controls. Two years of supplementation with oral l-arginine, a nitric oxide precursor, significantly improved endothelial function to control levels and was harmonized with the normalized plasma levels of l-arginine in patients. l-Arginine therapy improved endothelial dysfunction and showed promise in treating strokelike episodes in MELAS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Kurume University School of Medicine, Fukuoka, Japan. yasukoga@med.kurume-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Koga
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Akita
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Junko
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yatsuga
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Povalko
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fukiyama
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ishii
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Matsuishi
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001120:Arginine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000187:drug effects; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000187:drug effects*; D002648:Child; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017241:MELAS Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020521:Stroke / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014665:Vasodilator Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D014665:Vasodilator Agents; D001120:Arginine