Abstract
l-Arginine (Arg) is the enzymatic precursor of nitric oxide (NO) which has multiple biological functions. Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) and symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) are endogenous inhibitors of NO. We hypothesized that the ADMA and SDMA have additional biological functions in pregnancy, beyond NO synthesis, and may play a role in the regulation of birthweight (BW). To investigate this issue, we measured the plasma concentration of ADMA, SDMA, Arg and the NO metabolites nitrite and nitrate, at 23–25 weeks of gestation in women with normal placental function (Group 1) and in women with impaired placental perfusion; 19 of these women had normal outcome (Group 2), 14 had a fetus that was growth restricted (Group 3), and 10 women eventually developed preeclampsia (Group 4). BW percentile was found to inversely correlate with maternal plasma ADMA concentration in Group 3 (r = − 0.872, P < 0.001) and in Group 4 (r = − 0.800, P < 0.05). But, BW percentile did not correlate with the maternal plasma concentration of Arg, SDMA, nitrate or nitrite. Our results suggest that maternal plasma ADMA concentration is an important indicator of fetal growth restriction in women with impaired placental perfusion independent of NO.
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Abbreviations
- ADMA:
-
Asymmetric dimethylarginine
- AGA:
-
Appropriate for gestational age
- BW:
-
Birthweight
- FGR:
-
Fetal growth restriction
- FMD:
-
Flow-mediated dilatation
- GA:
-
Gestational age
- GH:
-
Growth hormone
- GHD:
-
Growth hormone deficiency
- IGF-1:
-
Insulin-like growth factor-1
- IUGR:
-
Intrauterine growth restriction
- LGA:
-
Large for gestational age
- NO:
-
Nitric oxide
- NOS:
-
Nitric oxide synthase
- eNOS:
-
Endothelial NOS
- PE:
-
Preeclampsia
- PRMT:
-
Protein arginine methyltransferase
- SDMA:
-
Symmetric dimethylarginine
- SGA:
-
Small for gestational age
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Acknowledgements
The initial study was supported by The Fetal Medicine Foundation (UK Registered Charity number: 1037116).
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The study was approved by the Local REC and all the patients gave written informed consent.
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Tsikas, D., Bollenbach, A. & Savvidou, M.D. Inverse correlation between maternal plasma asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) and birthweight percentile in women with impaired placental perfusion: circulating ADMA as an NO-independent indicator of fetal growth restriction?. Amino Acids 50, 341–351 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00726-017-2522-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00726-017-2522-2