BACKGROUND: Normal pregnancy is associated with enhanced vasodilatation because of the increased nitric oxide (NO) production. Because L-homoarginine can act as a substrate for NO production, concentrations of L-homoarginine in normal pregnancy were assessed in the present study to test whether L-homoarginine is associated with endothelial function. METHODS AND RESULTS: Healthy non-pregnant (n=61) and pregnant women (n=58) were studied in a cross-sectional study. L-homoarginine, L-arginine, asymmetric dimethylarginine and symmetric dimethylarginine concentrations were determined simultaneously by high-performance liquid chromatography. Endothelium-dependent brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD) was measured by ultrasound. The serum L-homoarginine concentration was significantly higher during the second and the third trimesters compared with the levels in the non-pregnant women (4.8+/-1.7 and 5.3+/-1.5 vs 2.7+/-1.0 micromol/L, p<0.001, respectively). In line with this, FMD increased in response to pregnancy (p<0.05). Three months after delivery, the L-homoarginine concentrations and FMD were comparable to those recorded in the non-pregnant females. The concentration of L-homoarginine correlated significantly with gestational age (r=0.426, p=0.001) and brachial artery diameter and FMD (r=0.362, p=0.006 and r=0.306, p=0.022, respectively) in pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS: L-homoarginine appears to be increased during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy and may contribute to the enhanced endothelial function in normal pregnancies.
BACKGROUND: Normal pregnancy is associated with enhanced vasodilatation because of the increased nitric oxide (NO) production. Because L-homoarginine can act as a substrate for NO production, concentrations of L-homoarginine in normal pregnancy were assessed in the present study to test whether L-homoarginine is associated with endothelial function. METHODS AND RESULTS: Healthy non-pregnant (n=61) and pregnant women (n=58) were studied in a cross-sectional study. L-homoarginine, L-arginine, asymmetric dimethylarginine and symmetric dimethylarginine concentrations were determined simultaneously by high-performance liquid chromatography. Endothelium-dependent brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD) was measured by ultrasound. The serum L-homoarginine concentration was significantly higher during the second and the third trimesters compared with the levels in the non-pregnant women (4.8+/-1.7 and 5.3+/-1.5 vs 2.7+/-1.0 micromol/L, p<0.001, respectively). In line with this, FMD increased in response to pregnancy (p<0.05). Three months after delivery, the L-homoarginine concentrations and FMD were comparable to those recorded in the non-pregnant females. The concentration of L-homoarginine correlated significantly with gestational age (r=0.426, p=0.001) and brachial artery diameter and FMD (r=0.362, p=0.006 and r=0.306, p=0.022, respectively) in pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS:L-homoarginine appears to be increased during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy and may contribute to the enhanced endothelial function in normal pregnancies.
Authors: S Pilz; A Meinitzer; A Tomaschitz; K Kienreich; A Fahrleitner-Pammer; C Drechsler; B O Boehm; W März Journal: Osteoporos Int Date: 2012-04-14 Impact factor: 4.507
Authors: S Pilz; A Meinitzer; A Tomaschitz; K Kienreich; H Dobnig; M Schwarz; D Wagner; C Drechsler; C Piswanger-Sölkner; W März; A Fahrleitner-Pammer Journal: Osteoporos Int Date: 2012-03-17 Impact factor: 4.507
Authors: Kyle L Fulghum; Juliette B Smith; Julia Chariker; Lauren F Garrett; Kenneth R Brittian; Pawel K Lorkiewicz; Lindsey A McNally; Shizuka Uchida; Steven P Jones; Bradford G Hill; Helen E Collins Journal: Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol Date: 2022-05-27 Impact factor: 5.125
Authors: Christiane Drechsler; Barbara Kollerits; Andreas Meinitzer; Winfried März; Eberhard Ritz; Paul König; Ulrich Neyer; Stefan Pilz; Christoph Wanner; Florian Kronenberg Journal: PLoS One Date: 2013-05-15 Impact factor: 3.240