Arginine

Category: amino-acid

Aliases: Arg, R, L-Arginine

Pharmacological Mechanism

Substrate for [[nitric_oxide_synthesis]] NOS → endothelial NO → vasodilation. Intermediate in the [[urea_cycle]]. Precursor to [[creatine]] (with [[glycine]] and [[methionine]]), polyamines (via ornithine), and proline. Oral F limited by saturable CAT-1 transport and first-pass hepatic arginase activity.

Half-Life (t½)

PO: 1.7h, IV: 1.7h

Dosing Guidelines

• PO: Typical 4g (Range: 3 - 6 g)
• IV: Typical 4g (Range: 3 - 6 g)

Target Organ Systems

• cardiovascular
• digestive

Interactions

• Lysine
• Agmatine
• Citrulline