title: Safety of long-term dietary supplementation with L-arginine in pigs.
abstract: This study was conducted with a swine model to determine the safety of long-term dietary supplementation with L-arginine-HCl or L-arginine free base. Beginning at 30 days of age, pigs were fed a corn- and soybean meal-based diet (31.5 g/kg body weight/day) supplemented with 0, 1.21, 1.81 or 2.42 % L-arginine-HCl (Experiment 1) or with 0, 1, 1.5 or 2 % L-arginine (Experiment 2). The supplemental doses of 0, 1, 1.5, and 2 % L-arginine provided pigs with 0, 315, 473, and 630 mg L-arginine/kg body weight/day, respectively, which were equivalent to 0, 286, 430, and 573 mg L-arginine/kg body weight/day, respectively, in humans. At 121 days of age (91 days after initiation of supplementation), blood samples were obtained from the jugular vein of pigs at 1 and 4 h after feeding for hematological and clinical chemistry tests. Dietary supplementation with L-arginine increased plasma concentrations of arginine, ornithine, proline, albumin and reticulocytes, while reducing plasma concentrations of ammonia, free fatty acids, triglyceride, cholesterol, and neutrophils. L-Arginine supplementation enhanced protein gain and reduced white-fat deposition in the body. Other variables in standard hematology and clinical chemistry tests, serum concentrations of insulin, growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor-I did not differ among all the groups of pigs. These results indicate that dietary supplementation with L-arginine (up to 630 mg/kg body weight/day) is safe in pigs for at least 91 days. Our findings help guide clinical studies to determine the safety of long-term oral administration of L-arginine to humans.
authors: Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.
authors: Shengdi
authors: S
authors: Hu
authors: Xilong
authors: X
authors: Li
authors: Reza
authors: R
authors: Rezaei
authors: Cynthia J
authors: CJ
authors: Meininger
authors: Catherine J
authors: CJ
authors: McNeal
authors: Guoyao
authors: G
authors: Wu
mesh_terms: D052436:Adipose Tissue, White / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D000409:Alanine / Q000097:blood; D000641:Ammonia / Q000097:blood; D000818:Animals; D000833:Animals, Suckling; D001120:Arginine / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000097:blood; D001823:Body Composition / Q000187:drug effects*; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005260:Female; D005973:Glutamine / Q000097:blood; D005998:Glycine / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D009952:Ornithine / Q000097:blood; D011392:Proline / Q000097:blood; D013552:Swine; D013997:Time Factors; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood; D014886:Weaning
chemical_list: D014280:Triglycerides; D005973:Glutamine; D000641:Ammonia; D001120:Arginine; D002784:Cholesterol; D011392:Proline; D009952:Ornithine; D000409:Alanine; D005998:Glycine