Journal of hypertension
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Journal of hypertension · Jun 2013
L-Homoarginine and L-arginine are antagonistically related to blood pressure in an elderly population: the Hoorn study.
Production of nitric oxide by the vascular endothelium is crucial for the maintenance of vascular tone, an important determinant of blood pressure. L-Arginine and its homolog L-homoarginine are competitive substrates of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), whereas asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) is a NOS inhibitor. We evaluated the relationships between physiological levels of these amino acids and blood pressure. ⋯ In elderly participants, plasma levels of L-homoarginine and L-arginine are independently associated with clinically relevant differences in blood pressure in an antagonistic fashion.