L-arginine infusion (500 mg kg-1) had no significant effect on blood pressure, heart rate, systemic or pulmonary haemodynamics, or cGMP levels in healthy volunteers or systemic sclerosis patients.
Does L-arginine infusion improve systemic and pulmonary haemodynamics in healthy volunteers and patients with systemic sclerosis and pulmonary hypertension?
L-arginine infusion does not significantly alter systemic or pulmonary haemodynamics in healthy volunteers or patients with systemic sclerosis and pulmonary hypertension.
The evidence that the infusion of L-arginine, the precursor of endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF)/nitric oxide (NO), may reduce systemic blood pressure, via the generation of intracellular cyclic guanosine-3,5-monophosphate(cGMP), in normotensive volunteers is controversial. In the first part of the study we investigated the effect of an L-arginine infusion on systemic blood pressure and plasma cGMP in healthy volunteers. 2. Patients with systemic sclerosis have widespread endothelial damage which, by reducing the release of NO, could contribute to the raised pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) often found in this condition. We hypothesised that if there were a failure of NO synthesis this might be overcome by infusing L-arginine into the pulmonary artery, thereby lowering PVR. In the second part of the study we investigated the effect of L-arginine infusion on systemic and pulmonary haemodynamics, and on plasma cGMP levels in patients with pulmonary hypertension and systemic sclerosis. 3. L-arginine (500 mg kg-1) was infused over 30 min into five normotensive volunteers and five patients with systemic sclerosis and pulmonary hypertension. Blood pressure, heart rate and skin temperature were measured non-invasively in the volunteers and systemic and pulmonary haemodynamics recorded via radial artery cannulae and balloon-tipped, flow directed, pulmonary artery catheters in the patients with systemic sclerosis. 4. L-arginine had no significant effect on blood pressure, heart rate or skin temperature in the normotensive volunteers nor on systemic or pulmonary haemodynamics in the systemic sclerotic group. Cyclic-GMP levels did not significantly change in either group.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Baudouin et al. (Thu,) conducted a other in Systemic sclerosis with pulmonary hypertension and healthy volunteers (n=10). L-arginine was evaluated on Systemic and pulmonary haemodynamics, blood pressure, heart rate, skin temperature, and plasma cGMP levels. L-arginine infusion (500 mg kg-1) had no significant effect on blood pressure, heart rate, systemic or pulmonary haemodynamics, or cGMP levels in healthy volunteers or systemic sclerosis patients.