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Arginine production & nitric oxide synthesis in pregnancy, a study in Jamaican, American and Indian women
Author(s) -
Karnes Jeffrey Mark,
Hsu Jean W.,
Tang Grace J.,
Baker Tameka M.,
Thame Minerva M.,
Dwarkanath Prathiba,
Kurpad Anura V.,
Jahoor Farook
Publication year - 2013
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.27.1_supplement.113.2
Subject(s) - pregnancy , gestation , medicine , birth weight , nitric oxide , arginine , endocrinology , obstetrics , chemistry , biology , biochemistry , amino acid , genetics
Arginine (arg) supply is critical for a successful pregnancy because of its roles in protein, nitric oxide (NO) and creatine syntheses and in cell growth and differentiation. NO is especially important for vascular expansion in pregnancy and a deficiency of arg supply could underlie the high prevalence of low birth weight (LBW) neonates in Indian women and in adolescent girls. Stable isotope tracers were used to measure arg flux and NO synthesis in pregnant American, Indian and Jamaican women and teenagers.Gestation Jamaica India United StatesWeeks Adult N=8 Teen N=8 Norm. BMI N=10 Low BMI N=10 Adult N=6Arg Flux (μmol/kg/h)13 108±6 a 107±6 a 50±2 b 63±3 b20108±5 a 28 114±12 a 82±7 a 45±2 b 50±2 b36–3982±3 Post‐partum73±6Values are Mean±SEM;a versus postpartum value, P<0.01b lower than Jamaican and American values, P<0.01Except for normal BMI Indian women, NO synthesis was not different among groups at trimesters 1 and 3. Pregnant Indian women produced arg at a slower rate compared to all others. This slower arg flux was associated with slower NO synthesis in normal BMI, but not in low BMI Indian women. There were significant correlations between birth weight and arg flux at trimester 1 (r=0.54, P<0.01) and trimester 3 (r= 0.53, P<0.01), indicating a strong association between decreased arg flux and LBW. Not surprisingly, the Indian women delivered 45% LBW babies compared to 19% for Jamaicans. Grant Funding Source : USDA/ARS