L-arginine plays an important role in immune regulation by affecting the immune response and inflammation. This meta-analysis was performed to assess whether L-arginine supplementation could improve the outcomes of immune function, and to evaluate the safety of L-arginine supplementation. Four databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library) for all randomized controlled trials investigating the effects of supplementation with L-arginine published from 1966 to September 2013 were searched. The quality of controlled trials was assessed with the Jadad method. Meta-analyses were performed with fixed- or random-effects models according to heterogeneity of studies. Data from 11 trials involving 321 patients were enrolled. Meta-analysis showed that the L-arginine supplement group had a significantly greater CD4⁺ T-cell proliferation response (MD 5.03; 95% CI 1.11, 8.95; p<0.05), and that the incidence of infectious complications was lower (OR 0.40; 95% CI 0.17, 0.95; p<0.05) than control.
L-精氨酸通过影响机体免疫应答和炎症反应在免疫调节中发挥重要作用。本 meta 分析对补充L-精氨酸是否可以改善机体免疫功能的结果进行了评估，同 时对补充L-精氨酸的安全性进行了评价。本文检索了四个数据库（PubMed, EMBASE , Web of Science, the Cochrane Library）中自1966 至2013 年9 月发 表的有关补充L-精氨酸对免疫功能影响的所有随机对照试验。按照Jadad 评分 量表对纳入的随机对照研究进行方法学质量评定，并根据异质性检验的结果， 选择使用固定或随机效应模型。最终11 项试验（包括321 名患者）被纳入本 次研究。Meta 分析结果显示，与对照组相比，L-精氨酸组CD4+ T 细胞的增殖 显著增加（MD 5.03; 95% CI 1.11, 8.95; p<0.05），且感染并发症的发生率降低 （OR 0.40; 95% CI 0.17, 0.95; p<0.05）。