L-citrulline provides a novel strategy for treating chronic pulmonary hypertension in newborn infants.

Abstract

UNLABELLED:

Effective therapies are urgently needed for infants with forms of pulmonary hypertension that develop or persist beyond the first week of life. The L-arginine nitric oxide (NO) precursor, L-citrulline, improves NO signalling and ameliorates pulmonary hypertension in newborn animals. In vitro studies demonstrate that manipulating L-citrulline transport alters NO production.

CONCLUSION:

Strategies that increase the supply and transport of L-citrulline merit pursuit as novel approaches to managing infants with chronic, progressive pulmonary hypertension.

• Authors: Candice D Fike, Marshall Summar, Judy L Aschner
• Journal: Acta paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992) (Acta Paediatr) Vol. 103 Issue 10 Pg. 1019-26 (Oct 2014) ISSN: 1651-2227 [Electronic] Norway
• PMID: 24862864 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural, Review)
• Copyright: ©2014 Foundation Acta Paediatrica. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Chemical References

• Amino Acid Transport Systems, Neutral
• Citrulline
• Nitric Oxide
• NOS3 protein, human
• Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III

Topics

• Amino Acid Transport Systems, Neutral (metabolism)
• Animals
• Cardiovascular Diseases (drug therapy, genetics, metabolism)
• Citrulline (metabolism, therapeutic use)
• Endothelial Cells (metabolism)
• Humans
• Hypertension, Pulmonary (drug therapy, metabolism)
• Hypoxia (metabolism)
• Infant, Newborn
• Models, Animal
• Nitric Oxide (metabolism)
• Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III (metabolism)