Arginine nutrition and cardiovascular function

L-Arginine (Arg) is the substrate for the synthesis of nitric oxide (NO), t he endothelium-derived relaxing factor essential for regulating vascular to ne and hemodynamics. NO stimulates angiogenesis, but inhibits endothelin-1 release, leukocyte adhesion, platelet aggregation, superoxide generation, t he expression of vascular cell adhesion molecules and monocyte chemotactic peptides, and smooth muscle cell proliferation. Arg exerts its vascular act ions also through NO-independent effects, including membrane depolarization , syntheses of creatine, proline and polyamines, secretion of insulin, grow th hormone, glucagon and prolactin, plasmin generation and fibrinogenolysis , superoxide scavenging and inhibition of leukocyte adhesion to nonendothel ial matrix. Compelling evidence shows that enteral or parenteral administra tion of Arg reverses endothelial dysfunction associated with major cardiova scular risk factors (hypercholesterolemia, smoking, hypertension, diabetes, obesity/insulin resistance and aging) and ameliorates many common cardiova scular disorders (coronary and peripheral arterial disease, ischemia/reperf usion injury, and heart failure). Dietary Arg supplementation may represent a potentially novel nutritional strategy for preventing and treating cardi ovascular disease.