L-arginine improves wound healing after trauma-hemorrhage by increasing collagen synthesis.

• Abstract: BACKGROUND: Several studies indicate impaired wound healing after trauma and shock. Wound immune cell dysfunction seems to be responsible for altered wound healing after trauma-hemorrhage (T-H). In this respect, administration of the amino acid L-arginine normalized wound immune cell function under those conditions. It remains unknown, however, whether L-arginine improves impaired wound healing after T-H. METHODS: To study this, male C3H/HeN mice were subjected to a midline laparotomy (i.e., soft tissue trauma induced), and polyvinyl sponges were implanted subcutaneously at the wound site before hemorrhage (35 +/- 5 mm Hg for 90 minutes) or were subjected to sham operation. During resuscitation, mice received 300 mg/kg body weight L-arginine or saline (vehicle). Seven days thereafter, hydroxyproline (OHP), a metabolite of collagen synthesis, was measured in the wound fluid using high-performance liquid chromatography. Collagen types I and III were determined in the wound by Western blot analysis. In addition, wound breaking strength was measured 10 days after T-H or sham operation. RESULTS: The results indicate that OHP was significantly decreased in T-H mice. L-arginine, however, restored depressed OHP in the wound fluid in the T-H animals. Similarly, L-arginine treatment prevented a significant depression of collagen I synthesis after T-H. Collagen III was not significantly affected by T-H or L-arginine. Most important, L-arginine increased maximal wound breaking strength after severe blood loss. Therefore, L-arginine improves wound healing after T-H by increasing collagen synthesis. CONCLUSION: Because L-arginine improves wound healing, the results suggest that L-arginine might represent a novel and useful adjunct to fluid resuscitation for decreasing wound complications after trauma and severe blood loss.
• Authors: F Wittmann, N Prix, S Mayr, P Angele, M W Wichmann, N K van den Engel, T Hernandez-Richter, I H Chaudry, K W Jauch, Martin K Angele (Affiliation: Department of Surgery, Klinikum Grosshadern, Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, Germany.)
• Journal: The Journal of trauma (J Trauma) Vol. 59 Issue 1 Pg. 162-8 (Jul 2005) ISSN: 0022-5282 [Print] United States
• PMID: 16096557 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Transforming Growth Factor beta
• Hydroxyproline
• Arginine
• Collagen

Topics

• Analysis of Variance
• Animals
• Arginine (pharmacology)
• Blotting, Western
• Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid
• Collagen (metabolism)
• Hemorrhage (physiopathology)
• Hydroxyproline (metabolism)
• Male
• Mice
• Mice, Inbred C3H
• Random Allocation
• Transforming Growth Factor beta (metabolism)
• Wound Healing (drug effects, immunology)
• Wounds and Injuries (drug therapy, immunology)