This study was designed to assess the production of nitric oxide (NO) by neutrophils in bronchial asthma. Thirty asthmatic patients (ten each of mild, moderate and severe asthma) and ten healthy controls were included in the study. Neutrophils from peripheral venous blood were stimulated with latex, and production of nitrite (an NO metabolise) and L-citrulline (a co-product of NO) was studied. ...

A new autoantibody activity, which is almost 100% specific for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), has been found. The essential part of the B-cell epitope is a modified form of arginine (ie citrulline). The conversion of protein-contained arginine to citrulline is an enzymatic process that is carried out by peptidylarginine deiminase (PAD), an enzyme that appears to be hormonally controlled. Because of...

The objective of the current study was to investigate whether plasma citrulline or intestinal fatty acid-binding protein (I-FABP) concentrations might be used as longitudinal markers for small intestinal function in piglets after weaning. Plasma citrulline and I-FABP concentrations were measured longitudinally in weaned and unweaned piglets, and related to intestinal absorption values (i.e., pl...

Of late, there has been a major increase in the marketing of sport nutraceuticals claiming to augment exercise performance and recovery due to their ability to increase nitric oxide (NO) release. NO is a labile molecule that is known to play a major role in regulating vasodilation, blood flow, platelet adhesion, immune system function, and mitochondrial respiration. Endogenous NO synthesis is c...

Producers of fresh fruits and vegetables face increasing production costs and international market competition. Growers who can offer high-quality watermelons [Citrullus lanatus (Thumb.) Matsum. & Nakai] that are also highly nutritious will have better market opportunities. To accomplish that, germplasm must be identified that has enhanced phytonutrient levels. Surprisingly, there is little inf...

Nitric oxide synthase (NOS) was evidenced in mature mouse spermatozoa by means of biochemical techniques and Western blot. During 120 min of incubation, 10(7) spermatozoa synthesized 7 +/- 2 pmol of L-[14C]citrulline. Besides, L-citrulline formation depended on the incubation time and on the concentration of L-arginine present in the incubation medium. Different concentrations of N(G)-nitro-L-a...

In two experiments, we investigated the role of mere recognition in a P300 based CIT. Mere recognition was isolated by having participants respond based on an irrelevant dimension of the stimuli. In Experiment 1 stimuli consisted of familiar and unfamiliar faces, with a dot placed on the left or the right cheek. Participants responded according to dot location. In the second experiment, partici...

Poly(ornithine-co-citrulline)s are ureido-based polymers, which were shown to exhibit tunable upper critical solution temperature (UCST) behavior, a property that can be exploited develop thermoresponsive nanoparticles for controlled drug delivery systems. To gain insight into the driving forces govern formation and dissolution processes of poly(ornithine-co-citrulline) nanoparticles, molecular...

Enhancement of depressed plasma concentrations of glutamine and arginine is associated with better clinical outcome. Supplementation of glutamine might be a way to provide the patient with glutamine, and also arginine, because glutamine provides the kidney with citrulline, from which the kidney produces arginine when plasma levels of arginine are low. The aim of the present study was to investi...