title: Restoration of asymmetric dimethylarginine-nitric oxide balance to prevent the development of hypertension.
abstract: Despite the use of extensive antihypertensive therapy in patients with hypertension, little attention has been paid to early identification and intervention of individuals at risk for developing hypertension. The imbalance between nitric oxide (NO) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) resulting in oxidative stress has been implicated in the pathophysiology of hypertension. NO deficiency can precede the development of hypertension. Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) can inhibit nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and regulate local NO/ROS balance. Emerging evidence supports the hypothesis that ADMA-induced NO-ROS imbalance is involved in the development and progression of hypertension. Thus, this review summarizes recent experimental approaches to restore ADMA-NO balance in order to prevent the development of hypertension. Since hypertension might originate in early life, we also discuss the putative role of the ADMA-NO pathway in programmed hypertension. Better understanding of manipulations of the ADMA-NO pathway prior to hypertension in favor of NO will pave the way for the development of more effective medicine for the treatment prehypertension and programmed hypertension. However, more studies are needed to confirm the clinical benefit of these interventions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung 833, Taiwan. tainyl@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: You-Lin
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Tain
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung 833, Taiwan. litung.huang@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Li-Tung
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001120:Arginine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000517:prevention & control; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D009569:Nitric Oxide; C018524:N,N-dimethylarginine; D001120:Arginine