L-arginine supplementation enhances exhaled NO, breath condensate VEGF, and headache at 4342 m
Department
Physical Therapy
Abstract
We examined the effect of dietary supplementation with L-arginine on breath condensate VEGF, exhaled nitric oxide (NO), plasma erythropoietin, symptoms of acute mountain sickness, and respiratory related sensations at 4342 m through the course of 24 h in seven healthy male subjects. Serum L-arginine levels increased in treated subjects at time 0, 8, and 24 h compared with placebo, indicating the effectiveness of our treatment. L-arginine had no significant effect on overall Lake Louise scores compared with placebo. However, there was a significant increase in headache within the L-arginine treatment group at 12 h compared with time 0, a change not seen in the placebo condition between these two time points. There was a trend (p = 0.087) toward greater exhaled NO and significant increases in breath condensate VEGF with L-arginine treatment, but no L-arginine effect on serum EPO. These results suggest that L-arginine supplementation increases HIF-1 stabilization in the lung, possibly through a NO-dependent pathway. In total, our observations indicate that L-arginine supplementation is not beneficial in the prophylactic treatment of AMS. © Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-1-2005
Publication Title
High Altitude Medicine and Biology
ISSN
1527-0297
Volume
6
Issue
4
DOI
10.1089/ham.2005.6.289
First Page
289
Last Page
300
Recommended Citation
Mansoor, Jim K.; Morrissey, Brian M.; Walby, William F.; Yoneda, Ken Y.; Juarez, Maya; Kajekar, Radhika; Severinghaus, John W.; Eldridge, Marlowe W.; and Schelegle, Edward S. S., "L-arginine supplementation enhances exhaled NO, breath condensate VEGF, and headache at 4342 m" (2005). All Faculty Scholarship. 74.
https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/shs-all/74
