American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 37, 786-794, Copyright © 1983 by The American Society for Clinical Nutrition, Inc

ORIGINAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS

Wound healing and thymotropic effects of arginine: a pituitary mechanism of action

A Barbul, G Rettura, SM Levenson and E Seifter

Supplemental dietary arginine HCl (ARG-HCl) minimizes immediate post- wounding weight loss, accelerates wound healing, and is thymotropic for uninjured and wounded rats. The present experiments were to determine if arginine-pituitary interactions underlie these effects because arginine is a growth hormone secretagogue. Effects of 1% dietary ARG- HCl supplements (0.5% added to a regular commercial rat diet containing 1.8% ARG, 0.5% in drinking water) were studied in (a) hypophysectomized (hypox) rats supplemented with ACTH, L-thyroxine, testosterone propionate, (b) such hypox rats additionally supplemented with bovine growth (hypox + bGH) hormone, (c) intact rats (Int), and (d) intact rats supplemented with growth hormone (Int. bGH). Group (a) hypox rats healed their wounds as rapidly as intact rats (dorsal skin incision breaking strength, accumulation of reparative collagen in sc polyvinyl alcohol sponges). Group (b) hypox, bGH rats showed increased wound breaking strength and accumulation of reparative collagen in the sc sponges to levels significantly greater than those of intact controls; bGH given to intact controls did not affect these indices of wound healing. Supplemental ARG-HCl given intact rats significantly minimized immediate postoperative weight loss, increased wound breaking strength and sponge reparative collagen accumulation, and increased thymic weight. None of these effects of supplemental ARG-HCl were observed in group (a) hypox rats or group (b) hypox + bGH rats. We conclude that an intact hypothalamic-pituitary axis is necessary for these beneficial effects of supplemental ARG-HCl given wounded rats.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. K. Stechmiller, B. Childress, and L. Cowan Arginine Supplementation and Wound Healing Nutr Clin Pract, February 1, 2005; 20(1): 52 - 61. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. K. Stechmiller, B. Childress, and T. Porter Arginine Immunonutrition in Critically Ill Patients: A Clinical Dilemma Am. J. Crit. Care., January 1, 2004; 13(1): 17 - 23. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. R. Morris, S. M. Morris Jr., W. Hagar, J. van Warmerdam, S. Claster, D. Kepka-Lenhart, L. Machado, F. A. Kuypers, and E. P. Vichinsky Arginine Therapy: A New Treatment for Pulmonary Hypertension in Sickle Cell Disease? Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., July 1, 2003; 168(1): 63 - 69. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. Teixeira, M. L. Santaolaria, V. Meneu, and E. Alonso Dietary Arginine Slightly and Variably Affects Tissue Polyamine Levels in Male Swiss Albino Mice J. Nutr., December 1, 2002; 132(12): 3715 - 3720. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				W. J. de Jonge, B. Marescau, R. D'Hooge, P. P. De Deyn, M. M. Hallemeesch, N. E. P. Deutz, J. M. Ruijter, and W. H Lamers Overexpression of Arginase Alters Circulating and Tissue Amino Acids and Guanidino Compounds and Affects Neuromotor Behavior in Mice J. Nutr., October 1, 2001; 131(10): 2732 - 2740. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. Lewis and B. Langkamp-Henken Arginine Enhances In Vivo Immune Responses in Young, Adult and Aged Mice J. Nutr., July 1, 2000; 130(7): 1827 - 1830. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				L. E. Matarese Rationale and Efficacy of Specialized Enteral Nutrition Nutr Clin Pract, April 1, 1994; 9(2): 58 - 64. [Abstract] [PDF]