Monitoring of L-Arginine and Endogenous Dimethylarginines in Survivor Septic Patients - A Pilot Study

In Vivo. 2016;30(5):663-9.

Abstract

Background/aim: Nitric oxide (NO) pathway plays a major role in the development and advancement of inflammation. We aimed to design a study and investigate its feasibility to show the changes of L-arginine, asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) and symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA), which are important regulators of the NO pathway.

Patients and methods: Concentrations of L-arginine, ADMA and SDMA were measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Seventeen septic survival patients were enrolled and blood samples were obtained on the first, third and fifth day after the diagnosis of sepsis. Sixteen non-septic matched controls were recruited.

Results: ADMA levels on admission correlated well with sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score. During the follow-up, L-arginine/ADMA ratio increased significantly from day 1 to day 3 (p=0.005), then decreased from day 3 to day 5 (p=0.023).

Conclusion: This study design seems feasible to investigate changes of L-Arginine, ADMA and SDMA in sepsis survival patients.

Keywords: L-arginine; Sepsis; asymmetric dimethylarginine; nitric oxide; survival.

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Arginine / analogs & derivatives*
  • Arginine / blood*
  • Chromatography, Liquid
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Inflammation / blood
  • Inflammation / pathology
  • Male
  • Metabolic Networks and Pathways
  • Middle Aged
  • Nitric Oxide / blood
  • Sepsis / blood*
  • Sepsis / pathology
  • Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Substances

  • Nitric Oxide
  • symmetric dimethylarginine
  • N,N-dimethylarginine
  • Arginine