Antiatherogenic Effect of L-Arginine in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats

L-Arginine is one of the essential amino acids elaborated in numerous areas of human physiology which produce nitric oxide (NO). Current study was designed to examine the antiatherogenic and anti-diabetic activities of L-arginine in experimental diabetic rats’ model. Fifty rats were divided into; Control group, L-Arginine group, Diabetic group, Treated group and Prophylactic group. Fasting blood samples were collected from all groups for determination of fasting blood glucose, insulin, insulin resistance, atherogenic index (AI), cardiac risk ratio (CRR), atherogenic coefficient(AC), intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (I-CAM-1), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and nitric oxide (NO). The result showed that oral administration of L-arginine induced significant decrease in the plasma level of I-CAM-1, TNF-α, AC, AI,CRR, glucose, and insulin resistance while induced significant increase in NO, and insulin levels in the treated group . In conclusion, L-arginine may be a novel nutrient, which improves the endothelial function and protects against the development of atherosclerosis in diabetic rats.