Systemic administration of L-arginine alters renal haemodynamics in humans. We examined whether L-arginine-induced vasodilation of the renal vasculature is related to an increased production and release of NO by comparing the effects of L- and D-arginine on renal endothelium-dependent vasodilation. In a double-blind randomized cross-over study including 20 young, healthy male white subjects (age 26±2 years), we determined the effects of intravenous administration of L-arginine or its enantiomer D-arginine, at doses of 100 mg/kg body weight for 30 min or 500 mg/kg for 30 min, on renal haemodynamics. Renal plasma flow (RPF) and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) were assessed by a constant-infusion input-clearance technique (using p-aminohippuric acid and inulin respectively). In addition, changes in blood pressure, heart rate, urinary sodium excretion (UNa) and urinary cGMP were measured. HPLC was used to determine L- and D-arginine concentrations. Intravenous infusion of L-arginine at 100 mg/kg for 30 min increased RPF from 641±87 to 677±98 ml/min (P = 0.019), whereas infusion of D-arginine did not (from 642±74 to 657±86 ml/min; not significant). The change in RPF was more marked during the infusion of L-arginine than during the infusion of D-arginine (+36±61 versus +16±57 ml/min; P = 0.037). Infusion of both L- and D-arginine at doses of 500 mg/kg for 30 min increased RPF from baseline [from 641±87 to 762±133 ml/min (P < 0.001) and from 642±74 to 713±120 ml/min (P = 0.004) respectively], but the change in RPF again was greater in response to L-arginine infusion than to infusion with D-arginine (+121±97 versus +71±94 ml/min; P = 0.018). In accordance, changes in renal vascular resistance (RVR) were higher in response to L-arginine compared with D-arginine for both doses (P < 0.05 and P< 0.001 respectively). UNa increased only with L-arginine (change in UNa, +0.33±0.26 mmol/min; P< 0.01) but not with D-arginine (change in UNa, +0.11±0.17 mmol/min; not significant). The change in UNa was more pronounced during infusion of L-arginine compared with infusion of D-arginine (P = 0.023). In parallel, urinary excretion of cGMP only increased in response to L-arginine (+676±272 pmol/l; P = 0.038) and not during D-arginine infusion (+185±153 pmol/l; not significant). L-Arginine-induced changes in RPF, RVR, UNa and cGMP excretion differed significantly from those induced by D-arginine. Thus although no direct measurements of NO synthesis were performed, putative markers of NO synthesis suggest that the renal vasodilatory response to L-arginine, at least in part, was due to increased production and release of NO. The dose of L-arginine at 100 mg/kg for 30 min emerged as the most suitable, because of the absence of systemic haemodynamic changes. The effects of infusion of L-arginine at 500 mg/kg for 30 min on renal endothelium-dependent vasodilation need to be corrected for the effects of D-arginine before conclusions can be drawn.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
Research Article|
September 06 2000
Is l-arginine infusion an adequate tool to assess endothelium-dependent vasodilation of the human renal vasculature?
Markus P. SCHLAICH;
Markus P. SCHLAICH
1Department of Medicine IV/Nephrology, University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Breslauer Str. 201, D-90471 Nürnberg, Germany
Search for other works by this author on:
Johannes JACOBI;
Johannes JACOBI
1Department of Medicine IV/Nephrology, University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Breslauer Str. 201, D-90471 Nürnberg, Germany
Search for other works by this author on:
Stefan JOHN;
Stefan JOHN
1Department of Medicine IV/Nephrology, University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Breslauer Str. 201, D-90471 Nürnberg, Germany
Search for other works by this author on:
Christian DELLES;
Christian DELLES
1Department of Medicine IV/Nephrology, University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Breslauer Str. 201, D-90471 Nürnberg, Germany
Search for other works by this author on:
Ingrid FLEISCHMANN;
Ingrid FLEISCHMANN
1Department of Medicine IV/Nephrology, University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Breslauer Str. 201, D-90471 Nürnberg, Germany
Search for other works by this author on:
Roland E. SCHMIEDER
1Department of Medicine IV/Nephrology, University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Breslauer Str. 201, D-90471 Nürnberg, Germany
Correspondence: Professor Dr Roland E. Schmieder (e-mail roland.schmieder@rzmail.uni-erlangen.de).
Search for other works by this author on:
Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
February 11 2000
Revision Received:
April 19 2000
Accepted:
May 23 2000
Online ISSN: 1470-8736
Print ISSN: 0143-5221
The Biochemical Society and the Medical Research Society © 2000
2000
Clin Sci (Lond) (2000) 99 (4): 293–302.
Article history
Received:
February 11 2000
Revision Received:
April 19 2000
Accepted:
May 23 2000
Citation
Markus P. SCHLAICH, Johannes JACOBI, Stefan JOHN, Christian DELLES, Ingrid FLEISCHMANN, Roland E. SCHMIEDER; Is l-arginine infusion an adequate tool to assess endothelium-dependent vasodilation of the human renal vasculature?. Clin Sci (Lond) 1 October 2000; 99 (4): 293–302. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/cs0990293
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Sign in to your personal account
You could not be signed in. Please check your email address / username and password and try again.
Captcha Validation Error. Please try again.