title: A preliminary study on protective effect of L-citrulline against ischemia-reperfusion induced gastric mucosal lesions in rat.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study was designed to investigate the gastroprotective effect of L-citrulline against gastric ischemia-reperfusion injury.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sodium pentobarbital-anesthetized rats underwent occlusion of the celiac artery for 30 min, followed by 60 min of reperfusion. Sixty minutes before ischemia, L-citrulline at doses of 300, 600, 900 mg/kg was administered intragastrically. Based on this animal model of gastric ischemia-reperfusion injury, the gastroprotective effect of L-citrulline was assessed by determining and comparing the ulcerative index and the estimation of myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) level in the gastric mucosal tissues. Moreover, the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) protein was also determined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Intragastric administration of L-citrulline (600 and 900 mg/kg) 60 min before ischemia significantly ameliorated the gastric mucosal damage and inhibited the increase in MPO and MDA contents. Also, the increase in expression of iNOS protein was also prevented by L-citrulline. The expression of nNOS and eNOS was not affected significantly by I/R or L-citrulline.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results suggest that L-citrulline, administered exogenously, exhibits gastric protection by inhibition of neutrophil infiltration in rats, which may be related in prevention of the increase in iNOS activity.
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, Xuzhou Medical College, 84 West Huaihai Road, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Liu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yi
authors.forename: Gou
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lingshan
authors.forename: Yin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: Yin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xiaoxing
authors.forename: Zheng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Junnian