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L-arginine in the management of cardiovascular diseases
J W Cheng1, S N Baldwin, S N Balwin
1Arnold & Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, 75 DeKalb Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11201-5497, USA. jcheng@liu.edu
Insights
L-arginine supplementation shows promise in managing cardiovascular diseases by improving endothelial function and exercise capacity. Further large-scale studies are needed to confirm these benefits for routine clinical use.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Nutritional Science
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) represent a significant global health burden.
- Endothelial dysfunction is a key factor in the pathogenesis of various CVDs.
- L-arginine, a precursor to nitric oxide, plays a crucial role in vascular health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of L-arginine in the management of cardiovascular diseases.
- To synthesize current evidence on L-arginine's impact on endothelial function and clinical outcomes in CVD patients.
Main Methods:
- Comprehensive literature search of MEDLINE (1966-April 2000) for review and primary studies.
- Inclusion of English-language human studies focusing on L-arginine and cardiovascular conditions.
- Quality assessment of selected studies.
Main Results:
- Intravenous L-arginine administration improved endothelial function, enhancing vasodilation and reducing monocyte adhesion.
- Oral L-arginine supplementation demonstrated similar vascular benefits and improved exercise capacity in patients with CVDs.
- Positive effects observed across conditions including hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, diabetes, and ischemic heart disease.
Conclusions:
- L-arginine appears beneficial in managing multiple cardiovascular diseases.
- Current evidence is primarily derived from small-scale studies.
- Larger, robust clinical trials are necessary to validate L-arginine's therapeutic role and guide clinical recommendations.
Objective:
To examine the role of L-arginine in the management of cardiovascular diseases.
Data Sources:
A MEDLINE search (1966-April 2000) of review articles, using the search terms arginine, nitric oxide, and cardiovascular diseases, was conducted. After reviewing these articles, primary studies using the search terms arginine, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, diabetes, smoking, ischemic heart disease, and heart failure were reviewed.
Study Selection:
English-language human studies were selected and evaluated based on quality of review.
Data Synthesis:
Small-scale studies have demonstrated that intravenous L-arginine augments endothelial function by enhancing vasodilation and reducing monocyte adhesion. Oral supplementation demonstrated similar effects as well as improvement of exercise ability in patients with cardiovascular diseases.
Conclusions:
L-arginine improves the management of multiple cardiovascular diseases. However, most published human studies are small. Before therapy can be routinely recommended, larger, well-designed studies are required to confirm its effect.