Development of antihypertensive drugs: L-arginine and its derivatives as a precursor of endothelium-derived relaxing factor

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Intravenous administration of L-arginine to normotensive healthy volunteers caused a slight reduction of systemic blood pressure. To essential and secondary hypertension it caused a marked decrease in systemic blood pressure. Based on observations of the increase in plasma cyclic GMP and citrulline, as well as urinary nitrite/nitrate and increased output of nitric oxide from cultured endothelial cells, the antihypertensive effect of L-arginine was probably due to an increase in nitric oxide synthesis/release in vivo. L-arginine suppressed plasma aldosterone. These results suggest that exogenous L-arginine produces a vasodilatory effect by increasing NO production and that L-arginine or released NO modulates the release of neuroendocrine hormones in hypertensive subjects.