title: Asymmetric dimethylarginine reference intervals determined with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry: results from the Framingham offspring cohort.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Accumulating evidence links higher circulating asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) to greater risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Relatively small differences in ADMA concentrations between healthy individuals and those with disease underscore the need to formulate reference intervals that may aid risk stratification of individuals.
  
  
  METHODS
  We formulated reference intervals for plasma ADMA concentrations using a community-based reference sample from the Framingham Offspring Study consisting of 1126 nonsmoking individuals [mean (SD) age 56 (9) years; 60% women] who were free of clinical CVD, hypertension, diabetes, and obesity and who attended a routine examination at which ADMA was assayed. ADMA concentrations were determined using a validated tandem mass spectrometry-liquid chromatography assay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the study sample, the mean ADMA concentration was 0.52 (0.11) micromol/L, and the reference limits were 0.311 and 0.732 (2.5th and 97.5th percentile). The sex-specific reference limits were 0.310 and 0.745 in men and 0.313 and 0.721 micromol/L in women. In multivariable regression analysis, ADMA plasma concentrations were positively correlated with age and total plasma homocysteine (both P < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Reference limits calculated for circulating ADMA in our large community-based healthy reference sample confirm the previous observation of a relatively narrow distribution of concentrations. This suggests a tight physiological control of ADMA plasma concentrations, presumably by dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase (DDAH) metabolism of ADMA.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Pharmacology Unit, Institute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany. schwedhelm@uke.uni-hamburg.de
authors.forename: Edzard
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Schwedhelm
authors.forename: Vanessa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Xanthakis
authors.forename: Renke
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Maas
authors.forename: Lisa M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Sullivan
authors.forename: Friedrich
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Schulze
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Riederer
authors.forename: Ralf A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Benndorf
authors.forename: Rainer H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Böger
authors.forename: Ramachandran S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Vasan
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001120:Arginine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002853:Chromatography, Liquid / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012015:Reference Standards; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012737:Sex Factors; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards
chemical_list: D006710:Homocysteine; C018524:N,N-dimethylarginine; D001120:Arginine