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Citrulline metabolism during pregnancy in wild type and spf‐ash carrier mice
Author(s) -
Marini Juan C
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.22.1_supplement.869.25
Subject(s) - arginine , gestation , medicine , nitric oxide , endocrinology , chemistry , citrulline , pregnancy , phenylalanine , metabolism , andrology , amino acid , biology , biochemistry , genetics
A reduction in circulating levels of citrulline (CIT) has been reported in women towards the end of gestation which, in animal models, has been shown to be due to a reduced ability of mitochondria to synthesize CIT. To test the hypothesis that CIT and nitric oxide (NO) production were reduced during pregnancy, wild type and spf‐ash (ornithine transcarbamylase deficient) carrier female mice were studied at different stages during pregnancy. A primed‐continuous infusion of 15 N 2 ‐arginine and 13 C D 4 citrulline was conducted before conception, and on days 10 and 20 of gestation. Plasma CIT concentration was reduced (40.2, 20.6 and 11.8 μmol/L, d0, d10 and d10 respectively; P < 0.001) as pregnancy progressed; however, arginine concentration was only reduced in spf‐ash carriers on d20 (P < 0.04). A lower plasma CIT concentration was observed in spf‐ash carrier females (20.4 vs 28.5 μmol/L, P < 0.05). Other essential amino acids did not change (BCAA, P = 0.20) or decreased (phenylalanine, P <0.001) during pregnancy. There was a significant effect of gestation length (P < 0.001), phenotype (P < 0.001) and interaction (P < 0.03) on CIT entry rate. Arginine entry rate, however, increased (P < 0.001) during midgestation. The production of NO was only reduced in spf‐ash carrier female at the end of gestation (1.4 vs 4.8 μmol·kg −1 ·h −1 ). Despite reduced levels of CIT toward the end of gestation, WT mice were able to maintain NO production.