title: Asymmetrical dimethylarginine (ADMA) and coronary endothelial function in patients with coronary artery disease and mild hypercholesterolemia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the association of the endogenous nitric oxide synthase inhibitor asymmetrical dimethylarginine (ADMA) and coronary endothelial function.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 289 patients with coronary artery disease we assessed coronary endothelium-dependent and -independent vascular responses to intracoronary infusion of acetylcholine, adenosine, and nitroglycerin, respectively, and determined plasma ADMA and l-arginine concentrations by HPLC. After 6 months of treatment with either cerivastatin, nifedipine, cerivastatin+nifedipine, or placebo, coronary vascular function testing as well as ADMA and l-arginine determinations were repeated. We observed no correlation of plasma ADMA or l-arginine concentration and coronary response to acetylcholine, adenosine or nitroglycerin baseline, and no correlation of changes of ADMA or l-arginine plasma concentration with changes in coronary function (all r and rho<0.3, all p>0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  At physiological plasma concentrations ADMA appears to have only little impact on coronary endothelial function.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Pharmacology Unit, Institute for Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany. maas@uke.uni-hamburg.de
authors.forename: Renke
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Maas
authors.forename: Kurt
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Quitzau
authors.forename: Edzard
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Schwedhelm
authors.forename: Lukas
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Spieker
authors.forename: Wolf
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Rafflenbeul
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Steenpass
authors.forename: Thomas F
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Lüscher
authors.forename: Rainer H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Böger
mesh_terms: D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000494:pharmacology; D000241:Adenosine / Q000494:pharmacology; D000368:Aged; D001120:Arginine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D005996:Nitroglycerin / Q000494:pharmacology; D014661:Vasoconstriction / Q000502:physiology*; D014662:Vasoconstrictor Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D014664:Vasodilation / Q000502:physiology*; D014665:Vasodilator Agents / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D014662:Vasoconstrictor Agents; D014665:Vasodilator Agents; C018524:N,N-dimethylarginine; D001120:Arginine; D005996:Nitroglycerin; D000241:Adenosine; D000109:Acetylcholine