Kinetics of Nitrogen Oxide Production Following Experimental Thermal Injury in Rats,
Abstract
Nitric oxide is biosynthesized from the amino acid l-arginine by the enzyme nitric oxide synthase. Nitric oxide is a vasodilator, a neurotransmitter, and may modulate immune function. The experiments presented here were performed to determine whether the synthesis of nitric oxide is increased following experimental burn injury in rats. After a 30% total body surface area burn in 300-g Lewis rats, the urinary output of nitrate, a stable metabolite of nitric oxide, was significantly increased for 8 days postburn compared with that in sham-burned control rats. The origin of the urinary nitrate from L-arginine was demonstrated by administering the stable isotope 15 N2-guanido-arginine to burned and sham-burned rats and observing an immediate enrichment of 15 N in nitrate.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1993
- Accession Number
- ADA268669
Entities
People
- Albert T. Mcmanus
- Arthur D. Mason Jr.
- Basil A. Pruitt Jr.
- Ronald L. Shippee
- William K. Becker
Organizations
- United States Army Institute of Surgical Research