Increased expression of arginase I and II in allergic nasal mucosa

Abstract

These results indicate that arginase I and II may play a role in the pathophysiology of allergic rhinitis, and suggest the possible role of the L-arginine metabolic pathway through modulation of L-arginine availability as a substrate for nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and arginase in the pathogenesis of allergic rhinitis.

Arginase I levels are decreased in the plasma of pediatric patients with atopic dermatitis

“…Moreover, high doses of L-arginine have been shown to decrease airway hyperresponsiveness and inflammation (6). Similarly to the results seen in asthmatic patients, in patients with allergic rhinitis, arginase I expression in nasal mucosa was also found to be elevated after allergen challenge (7), though serum arginase was not notably changed (8). …”

Study of nasal exhaled nitric oxide levels in diagnosis of allergic rhinitis in subjects with and without asthma

“…Previous studies demonstrated that in the upper airways, exhaled nasal NO was produced mainly from paranasal sinus 16. However, a recent study demonstrated that the nasal exhaled NO was obtained not only from the sinuses by gradient diffusion, but also from the NO produced by nasal mucosal membranes 17,18. In this study, the levels of nasal FENO in healthy subjects varied from 350 to 750 ppb and were not significantly correlated with anthropometric characteristics, lung functional parameters, or levels of exhaled NO in lower airways (bronchial FENO and CANO; Table 2).…”

The role of nitric oxide in chronic rhinosinusitis

“…NOS/arginase balance might be involved in nasal secretion and blood flow regulation, sustaining the assumption that the decrease of NO in several sinonasal diseases such as allergic rhinitis, asthma and CRS is due to a competition between arginase and NOS for arginine 18 . The data available in the published literature regarding NOS-arginase competition for L-arginine suggests that the administration of an arginase inhibitor may be beneficial in treating these diseases.…”

“…Two isoenzymes of arginase have been identified: arginase I, highly expressed in the liver and arginase II, mainly expressed in extrahepatic tissues [15][16][17] . Woo Sung Cho et al demonstrated the presence of both isoforms in normal and allergic nasal mucosa, but the level of expression in patients with allergic rhinitis is higher than in healthy subjects 18 .…”