Activation of neuronal nitric oxide synthase, and consequent production of nitric oxide (NO), contributes to spinal hyperexcitability and enhanced pain sensation. All NOS isoforms are inhibited endogenously by asymmetric dimethylarginine, which itself is metabolised by dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase (DDAH). Inhibition of DDAH can indirectly attenuate NO production by elevating asymmetr...

In response to vascular insults, inflammatory cytokines stimulate vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) to express an inducible isoform of nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), an endogenous NO synthase inhibitor, is metabolized by dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase (DDAH). To determine whether the ADMA-DDAH system regulates cytokine-induced NO production, culture...

all-trans-Retinoic acid (atRA) has important effects on the developing and mature cardiovascular system. Nitric oxide (NO) production has been associated with the atRA-induced differentiation of neuronal cells, and we hypothesized that NO may also mediate certain actions of atRA in the cardiovascular system. We studied the effects of atRA on NO production by endothelial cells and determined whe...

We investigated the effects of hepatic ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury on asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA, a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor), protein methyltransferase (PRMT) and dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase (DDAH) (involved, resp., in ADMA synthesis and degradation), and the cationic transporter (CAT). Male Wistar rats were subjected to 30 or 60 min hepatic ischemia followed by...

BACKGROUND Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) is an endogenous inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase (NOS). Plasma levels of ADMA are elevated in individuals with hypercholesterolemia or atherosclerosis. We postulated that reduced degradation of ADMA may play a role in the accumulation of ADMA in these individuals. Accordingly, we studied the effects of oxidized LDL (oxLDL) or tumor necrosis facto...

BACKGROUND Methylated arginines are endogenous analogues of L-arginine, the substrate for nitric oxide (NO) synthase. Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) interferes with NO formation, causing endothelial dysfunction. ADMA is a predictor of cardiovascular events and mortality in humans. It is eliminated primarily by enzymatic activity of dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase (DDAH). METHODOLO...

Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) is an endogenous inhibitor of nitric oxide (NO) synthase. ADMA accumulation, mainly due to a decreased dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase (DDAH) activity, has been related to the development of cardiovascular diseases. We investigate whether estradiol prevents the changes induced by oxidized low density lipoprotein (oxLDL) on the DDAH/ADMA/NO pathway in h...

BACKGROUND High fat diet impairs nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability, and induces insulin resistance. The link between NO availability and the metabolic adaptation to a high fat diet is not well characterized. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of high fat diet on metabolism in mice with decreased (eNOS-/-) and increased (DDAH overexpressed) NO bioavailability. METHODS eNOS...

Hypothesis Silica nanoparticles can be dispersed in organic solvents (organosols) using surfactants, such as didodecyldimethylammonium bromide (DDAB). DDAB analogues prepared with lathanide tetrahalide counterions, either a high-magnetic moment ion (HoCl3Br, DDAH) or low-magnetic moment one (NdCl3Br, DDAN), are expected to produce charged particles but only DDAH-stabilized dispersions are expec...

Hypoxia-induced and high altitude pulmonary hypertension are a major problem in the mountain areas of the world. The asymmetric methylarginines (ADMA) inhibit nitric oxide (NO) synthesis by competing with L-arginine, and high levels of plasma ADMA predict adverse outcomes in pulmonary hypertension. However, little is known about the regulation of the ADMA-NO pathway in animals adapted to high a...