L-arginine (LA) is a semi-essential amino acid that is used frequently as a pre-workout supplement to increase athletic ability, stamina, and endurance. Because of the low bioavailability of LA, the ethyl ester, L-arginine ethyl ester (LAEE), was produced and sold as having a higher bioavailability than LA. Nitric oxide synthases bind to both LA and LAEE to produce nitric oxide. Nitric oxide causes vasodilation of the blood vessels which is advantageous for exercise. In spite of the claims, no data can be found in the literature supporting the increased bioavailability of LAEE over LA. Experiments were performed in which the production of NO was measured in mouse embryonic fibroblast (MEF) cells and production of ATP was measured in human embryonic kidney 293 (H-293) cells. The Griess reaction was used to determine NO production, and ATP production was measured using the CellTiter Glo (CTG) assay. While NO production experiments need to be optimized further, preliminary results indicate that LA actually decreases ATP production in H-293 cells while LAEE does not. The current hypothesis is that LA may affect potassium ion channels while LAEE does not.

Comparison of nitric-oxide and ATP production of L-arginine versus L-arginine ethyl ester

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.