Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) is involved in the pathogenesis of hypertension and atherosclerosis by inhibiting the generation of nitric oxide, an endogenous vasculoprotective molecule. Determination of ADMA helps to predict a patient`s probability of experiencing death or cardiovascular disease. A novel competitive ADMA-ELISA that has recently been developed and validated by us is a usefu...

Arginine has vasodilatory effects, via its conversion by NO synthase into NO, and immunomodulatory actions which play important roles in sepsis. Protein breakdown affects arginine availability and the release of asymmetric dimethylarginine, an inhibitor of NO synthase, may therefore affect NO synthesis in patients with sepsis. The objective of the present study was to investigate whole-body in ...

Previously we had shown that ammonia stimulates nitric oxide (NO) synthesis in astrocytes by increasing the uptake of the precursor amino acid, arginine via the heteromeric arginine/glutamine transporter y⁺LAT2. Ammonia also increases the concentration in the brain of the endogenous inhibitor of nitric oxide synthases (NOS), asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), but distribution of ADMA surplus b...

Wang D, Strandgaard S, Iversen J, Wilcox CS. Asymmetric dimethylarginine, oxidative stress, and vascular nitric oxide synthase in essential hypertension. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 296: R195–R200, 2009. First published August 6, 2008; doi:10.1152/ajpregu.90506.2008.—We reported impaired endotheliumderived relaxation factor/nitric oxide (EDRF/NO) responses and constitutive nitric oxi...