[L-arginine and immunity. Study of pediatric subjects]. / L-arginina e immunità. Studio in soggetti pediatrici.
Minerva Pediatr
; 49(11): 537-42, 1997 Nov.
Article
em It
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-9549298
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Nitric oxide (NO) play a pivotal role in many biological processes, as in the vessel tone control, the atherogenesis, the platelets aggregation and the immune system modulation. The physiologic precursor of NO is the L-arginine. Evidence exists that the L-arginine administration can stimulate immune system in children with recurrent infections. This clinical trial was designed to evaluate the effects of oral administration of L-arginine on the number of infective events and on the lymphocytes subsets in children suffering from airways recurrent infections.METHODS:
Forty outpatients, 21 male and 19 female, aging from 2 to 13 yrs. Two balanced groups, treated for 60 days with L-arginine or a placebo. Evaluation criteria number of septic episodes; number of circulating white blood cells, % of the lymphocytes; lymphocytes subsets. STATISTICALANALYSIS:
Descriptive analysis; inference tests chi 2; "t" test; variance analysis. Statisticalsignificance:
p = 0.05.RESULTS:
Fifteen patients treated with L-arginine and five treated with placebo (p < 0.01) were free from infections. The percentage of CD3 and CD4 subsets significantly (p < 0.05) increased in the L-arginine group than in the placebo group, while the CD8 subset significantly decreased. The CD4/CD8 ratio raised from 1.05 +/- 0.29 to 1.51 +/- 0.46 (p < 0.01) in the L-arginine group, from 1.12 +/- 0.16 to 1.27 +/- 0.24 in the placebo group. There were no side effects in both groups.CONCLUSIONS:
L-arginine seems able to increase the immune system defences and to protect against the airway infections.
Buscar no Google
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Arginina
/
Infecções Respiratórias
/
Imunidade Inata
Tipo de estudo:
Clinical_trials
Limite:
Adolescent
/
Child
/
Child, preschool
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Idioma:
It
Revista:
Minerva Pediatr
Ano de publicação:
1997
Tipo de documento:
Article