High plasma citrulline and arginine levels ensured by sustained-release citrulline supplementation in rats.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

Dietary-supplemented arginine has been shown to have positive effects on cardiovascular disease, but several drawbacks exist and could potentially be avoided by using L-citrulline, since it is recycled to L-arginine. However, citrulline is very rapidly metabolized. We therefore developed a sustained-release form of citrulline and evaluated its metabolic behavior in rats.

METHODS:

Male Sprague Dawley rats were divided into three groups: receiving "empty microcapsule" (control group), 1 g/kg/d immediate-release citrulline (IR citrulline group), or 1 g/kg/d sustained-release citrulline (SR citrulline group). Citrulline was given each day at 9 a.m. after blood samples for 9 d, and on day 10, blood samples were drawn every 4 h to study the decrease in plasma amino acid concentrations.

RESULTS:

SR citrulline led to a sustained increase in citrullinemia and argininemia compared to IR citrulline, and on day 6 argininemia was significantly (P < 0.01) higher with SR compared to IR citrulline. Moreover, argininemia was significantly higher in the SR citrulline group than in controls throughout the study and SR citrulline maintained high argininemia and citrullinemia, at least over 12 h.

CONCLUSION:

This experimental study provides a strong rationale for using this new formulation for atherosclerosis treatment.

• Authors: Marie-Clotilde Berthe, Sylviane Darquy, Charlotte Breuillard, Lynda Lamoudi, Julie Marc, Luc Cynober, Jean-Claude Chaumeil, Rémy Couderc
• Journal: Nutrition (Burbank, Los Angeles County, Calif.) (Nutrition) 2011 Nov-Dec Vol. 27 Issue 11-12 Pg. 1168-71 ISSN: 1873-1244 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 21482070 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• Delayed-Action Preparations
• Citrulline
• Nitric Oxide
• Arginine

Topics

• Animals
• Arginine (blood)
• Cardiovascular Diseases (drug therapy, pathology)
• Citrulline (administration & dosage, blood)
• Delayed-Action Preparations (metabolism)
• Dietary Supplements
• Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
• Hyperargininemia (drug therapy, pathology)
• Male
• Nitric Oxide (biosynthesis)
• Rats
• Rats, Sprague-Dawley