Infants with cardiopulmonary disorders associated with
hypoxia develop
pulmonary hypertension. We previously showed that initiation of oral L-
citrulline before and continued throughout hypoxic exposure improves
nitric oxide (NO) production and ameliorates
pulmonary hypertension in newborn piglets. Rescue treatments, initiated after the onset of
pulmonary hypertension, better approximate clinical strategies. Mechanisms by which L-
citrulline improves NO production merit elucidation. The objective of this study was to determine whether starting L-
citrulline after the onset of
pulmonary hypertension inhibits
disease progression and improves NO production by recoupling endothelial
NO synthase (eNOS). Hypoxic and normoxic (control) piglets were studied. Some hypoxic piglets received oral L-
citrulline starting on Day 3 of
hypoxia and continuing throughout the remaining 7 days of hypoxic exposure.
Catheters were placed for hemodynamic measurements, and pulmonary arteries were dissected to assess NO production and eNOS dimer-to-monomer ratios (a measure of eNOS coupling). Pulmonary vascular resistance was lower in L-
citrulline-treated hypoxic piglets than in untreated hypoxic piglets but was higher than in normoxic controls. NO production and eNOS dimer-to-monomer ratios were greater in pulmonary arteries from L-
citrulline-treated than from untreated hypoxic animals but were lower than in normoxic controls. When started after disease onset, oral L-
citrulline treatment improves NO production by recoupling eNOS and inhibits the further development of chronic
hypoxia-induced
pulmonary hypertension in newborn piglets. Oral L-
citrulline may be a novel strategy to halt or reverse
pulmonary hypertension in infants suffering from cardiopulmonary conditions associated with
hypoxia.