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Schwieren L, Jensen M, Schulz R, Lezius S, Laxy E, Milatz M, Thomalla G, Böger R, Gerloff C, Magnus T, Schwedhelm E, Choe CU. Homoarginine Associates with Carotid Intima-Media Thickness and Atrial Fibrillation and Predicts Adverse Events after Stroke. Life (Basel) 2023; 13:1590. [PMID: 37511965 PMCID: PMC10381763 DOI: 10.3390/life13071590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2023] [Revised: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Homoarginine is associated with cardio- and cerebrovascular morbidity and mortality. However, the underlying pathomechanisms remain elusive. Here, we evaluated the association of homoarginine with adverse events (i.e., death, stroke, and myocardial infarction) and carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) in stroke patients. In the prospective bioMARKers in STROKE (MARK-STROKE) cohort, patients with acute ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) were enrolled. Plasma homoarginine concentrations were analyzed and associated with clinical phenotypes in cross-sectional (374 patients) and prospective (273 patients) analyses. Adjustments for possible confounders were evaluated. A two-fold increase in homoarginine was inversely associated with the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score at admission, cIMT, and prevalent atrial fibrillation (mean factor -0.68 [95% confidence interval (CI): -1.30, -0.07], -0.14 [95% CI: -0.22, -0.05]; and odds ratio 0.57 [95% CI: 0.33, 0.96], respectively). During the follow-up (median 284 [25th, 75th percentile: 198, 431] days), individuals with homoarginine levels in the highest tertile had fewer incident events compared with patients in the lowest homoarginine tertile independent of traditional risk factors (hazard ratio 0.22 [95% CI: 0.08, 0.63]). A lower prevalence of atrial fibrillation and a reduced cIMT pinpointed potential underlying pathomechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Schwieren
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Märit Jensen
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Robert Schulz
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Susanne Lezius
- Institute of Medical Biometry and Epidemiology, University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Elena Laxy
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Magalie Milatz
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Götz Thomalla
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Rainer Böger
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Christian Gerloff
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Tim Magnus
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Edzard Schwedhelm
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
- German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK e.V.) Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Chi-Un Choe
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Homoarginine (hArg) is an endogenous, nonproteinogenic amino acid. It is enzymatically synthesized from L-arginine and L-lysine. Low hArg concentrations appear to be a risk factor in the renal and cardiovascular systems. This review discusses advances in-vitro and in-vivo experimental and clinical research on hArg in health and disease. RECENT FINDINGS Recent studies indicate that low circulating and low urinary concentrations of hArg are associated with morbidity and worse outcome. Although the biological activities of hArg remain still unexplored, hArg supplementation is intensely investigated as a strategy to increase hArg concentration to reach normal levels in cases of low hArg concentrations. The greatest changes in circulating hArg concentrations are observed during pregnancy and after delivery. In healthy adults, a daily dose of 125 mg hArg seems to be optimum to normalize circulating levels. Short-term supplementation of inorganic nitrate enhances hArg biosynthesis in healthy young men. Apart from hArg supplementation, dietary L-arginine and L-citrulline appear to be a promising alternative. SUMMARY Considerable progress has been made in recent years, but hArg remains still enigmatic. Further research is required to explore the biological activities of hArg. Supplementation of hArg or its precursors L-citrulline/L-arginine seem to be promising strategies to prevent and overcome altered hArg synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dimitrios Tsikas
- Institute of Toxicology, Core Unit Proteomics, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
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