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Developmental changes in the L-arginine/nitric oxide pathway from infancy to adulthood: plasma asymmetric dimethylarginine levels decrease with age

Lücke, Thomas ; Kanzelmeyer, Nele ; Kemper, Markus J. ; Tsikas, Dimitrios ; Das, Anibh M.

In: Clinical Chemical Laboratory Medicine, 2007, vol. 45, no. 11, p. 1525-1530

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    Titre
    • Developmental changes in the L-arginine/nitric oxide pathway from infancy to adulthood: plasma asymmetric dimethylarginine levels decrease with age
    Auteur
    • Lücke, Thomas. Department of Pediatrics, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
    • Kanzelmeyer, Nele. Department of Pediatrics, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
    • Kemper, Markus J.. Department of Pediatrics, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
    • Tsikas, Dimitrios. Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
    • Das, Anibh M.. Department of Pediatrics, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
    Type de document
    • Postprint
    Langue
    • Anglais
    Publié dans
    • Clinical Chemical Laboratory Medicine, 2007, vol. 45, no. 11, p. 1525-1530. Walter de Gruyter
    Autre version électronique
    Identifiant OAI-PMH
    • oai:doc.rero.ch:303705
    Summary
    Background: The L-arginine/nitric oxide (NO) pathway has multiple physiological functions including vasodilation, inhibition of platelet aggregation and neurotransmission. Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), an endogenous inhibitor of all known NO synthase isoforms, has adverse effects on renal and cardiovascular function in adults. It is unknown whether ADMA might also exert similar effects in younger individuals including infants. Also, reference data for important members of the L-arginine/NO family, notably ADMA and the NO metabolites, nitrite and nitrate, in infancy are lacking. Methods: In the present study, we investigated the status of the L-arginine/NO pathway in 34 healthy volunteers aged 2days to 24years by measuring the concentration of ADMA, nitrite, nitrate and L-arginine in plasma and urine using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry methods. Results: We found that ADMA levels in plasma decreased with age (Pearson correlation coefficient r=-0.619, p<0.001). In contrast, urinary excretion of nitrate (r=0.471, p=0.036) and nitrite increased with age (r=0.484, p=0.037). Conclusions: Our study suggests that in infants ADMA biosynthesis accompanied by an inhibition of NO synthesis is higher than in adults and diminishes considerably with age. Clin Chem Lab Med 2007;45:1525-30