Modern advances in nutritional
therapies have led to the specific use of
arginine supplementation for
protein synthesis, cell signaling through the production of
nitric oxide, and cell proliferation through its metabolism to
ornithine and to
polyamines.
Arginine is classified as a nonessential
amino acid that becomes a conditionally essential substrate in stressed adults.
Arginine has been shown to enhance
wound strength and
collagen deposition in artificial incisional
wounds in rodents and humans. A role for dietary intervention in the form of
arginine supplementation has been proposed to normalize or enhance wound healing in humans. Although this hypothesis is frequently discussed, the
therapeutic effect of
arginine supplementation on chronic wound healing in humans is still undetermined and requires further objective evidence. Well-designed clinical trials are required to determine whether
arginine supplementation is effective in enhancing healing of acute and chronic
wounds in humans and how much
arginine is recommended to meet metabolic needs during the phases of wound healing.