L-Homoarginine and cardiovascular disease
- 1 January 2015
- journal article
- review article
- Published by Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health) in Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care
- Vol. 18 (1), 83-88
- https://doi.org/10.1097/mco.0000000000000123
Abstract
An increasing number of reports indicate that low levels of the endogenous amino acid L-homoarginine are linked to cardiovascular disease. In this article, we review the current findings regarding L-homoarginine metabolism and (patho-)physiology with a focus on its clinical impact.Recent clinical and epidemiological studies revealed a strong association of low circulating L-homoarginine with cardiovascular outcomes and mortality. Human and murine studies identified L-arginine:glycine amidinotransferase (AGAT) as the responsible enzyme for endogenous L-homoarginine formation, suggesting a further important function of AGAT apart from its involvement in creatine and energy metabolism. Further studies related L-homoarginine to smoking and hypertension, and metabolic phenotypes.AGAT deficiency results in diminished intracellular energy stores (i.e., ATP and phosphocreatine), as well as a lack of L-homoarginine, and has been linked to an improved metabolic risk profile, but also to impaired cardiac and cerebrovascular function. L-homoarginine's structural similarity to L-arginine suggested physiological interference with L-arginine pathways (e.g., nitric oxide). Animal experiments and clinical trials are needed to improve knowledge on the physiology of L-homoarginine and differentiate its role as marker and mediator in cardiovascular disease.Keywords
This publication has 30 references indexed in Scilit:
- Homoarginine and Mortality in Pre-Dialysis Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) PatientsPLOS ONE, 2013
- l-arginine:glycine amidinotransferase deficiency protects from metabolic syndromeHuman Molecular Genetics, 2012
- Promiscuous activity of arginine:glycine amidinotransferase is responsible for the synthesis of the novel cardiovascular risk factor homoarginineFEBS Letters, 2012
- Moderate elevation of intracellular creatine by targeting the creatine transporter protects mice from acute myocardial infarctionCardiovascular Research, 2012
- AHA/ACCF Secondary Prevention and Risk Reduction Therapy for Patients With Coronary and Other Atherosclerotic Vascular Disease: 2011 UpdateJournal of the American College of Cardiology, 2011
- Homoarginine, heart failure, and sudden cardiac death in haemodialysis patientsEuropean Journal of Heart Failure, 2011
- The metabolic burden of creatine synthesisAmino Acids, 2011
- Low glomerular filtration rate and risk of stroke: meta-analysisBMJ, 2010
- Mice over-expressing the myocardial creatine transporter develop progressive heart failure and show decreased glycolytic capacityJournal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology, 2009
- Comparison of Substrate and Inhibitor Specificity of Arginase and Nitricm Oxide (NO) Synthase for Arginine Analogs and Related Compounds in Murine and Rat MacrophagesBiochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 1994