l-arginine Supplementation Increased Only Endothelium-Dependent Relaxation in Sprague-Dawley Rats Fed a High-Salt Diet by Enhancing Abdominal Aorta Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase Gene Expression

BACKGROUND: Abnormal vascular reactivity and reduced expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) gene are hallmark of salt-induced hypertension in rats. Although l-arginine is an established vasodilator, the mechanism by which it modulates vascular reactivity in salt-induced hypertension is not clearly understood. OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to investigate the mechanism by which oral l-arginine supplementation modulates vascular reactivity and eNOS gene expression in Sprague-Dawley rats fed a high-salt diet. METHODS: Forty-eight weaned male Sprague-Dawley rats of weight range 90 to 110 g were randomly divided into 6 groups of 8 rats per group. Group I was fed normal rat chow ad libitum and served as the Normal Diet group. Group II was fed a diet that contained 8% NaCl. Groups III and IV took normal and high-salt diet, respectively, and then received oral l-arginine supplementation (100 mg/kg/day), while groups V and VI took normal and high-salt diet, respectively, and then were co-administered with both l-arginine and l-nitro-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME; 100 mg/kg/day and 40 mg/kg/day, respectively) orally. At the end of 12-week experimental period, the animals were sacrificed to assess vascular reactivity and gene expression level. RESULTS: Our results show that high-salt diet significantly reduced (P < .05) endothelium-dependent relaxation response to acetylcholine and qualitatively reduced eNOS gene expression in the abdominal aorta of the rats. However, l-arginine supplementation improved the impaired endothelium-dependent relaxation and nitric oxide level while ameliorating the reduced eNOS gene expressions. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that oral supplementation of l-arginine enhances endothelial-dependent relaxation in rats fed a high-salt diet by ameliorating eNOS gene expression in the abdominal aorta of the rats.