title: Levels of nitric oxide, asymmetric dimethyl arginine, symmetric dimethyl arginine,and L-arginine in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We aimed to investigate and compare to healthy controls the variations in the levels of nitric oxide (NO), asymmetric dimethyl arginine (ADMA), symmetric dimethyl arginine (SDMA), and L-arginine levels in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
  
  
  METHODS
  We enrolled 30 patients with OCD and 30 healthy controls in the study consecutively. Diagnostic interviews of all participants were conducted with the Structured Clinical Interview for Axis I Disorders (SCID-I), and sociodemographic data of the participants were recorded. Patients scoring 10 points or more on the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale were enrolled in the study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The NO levels of patients with OCD were increased compared to the control group, but the increase was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). However, patients with OCD had significantly lower levels of ADMA, SDMA, and L-arginine compared with the controls (P < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found a significant decrease in ADMA, SDMA, and L-arginine as NO inhibitors between the groups, possibly because of an increase in NO. However, the insignificant increase in NO suggests that ADMA, SDMA, and L-arginine play direct and potentially important roles in OCD biology.
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Hatay Dörtyol State Hospital, Hatay, Turkey.
authors: Enver Demirel
authors: ED
authors: Yilmaz
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Atatürk University, Erzurum, Turkey.
authors: Mehmet Fatih
authors: MF
authors: Üstündağ
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Başakşehir State Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey.
authors: Ali Görkem
authors: AG
authors: Gençer
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Kafkas University, Kars, Turkey.
authors: Yüksel
authors: Y
authors: Kivrak
authors: Education, Health Care and Counseling, PersonaLogia Institute, İstanbul, Turkey.
authors: Özge
authors: Ö
authors: Ünal
authors: Department of Psychology, Faculty of Economics, Administrative, and Social Sciences, Gelişim University, İstanbul, Turkey.
authors: Mustafa
authors: M
authors: Bilici
mesh_terms: D001120:Arginine; D006801:Humans; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
chemical_list: D009569:Nitric Oxide; D001120:Arginine
keywords: L-arginine; Obsessive-compulsive disorder; asymmetric dimethyl arginine; nitric oxide; symmetric dimethyl arginine