Is glycine effective against elevated blood pressure?

Abstract

The use of glycine to lower high blood pressure could have a significant clinical impact in patients with the metabolic syndrome and with limited resources. On the other hand, more studies are needed to explore the beneficial effect of glycine in other models of hypertension and to investigate possible side-effects of treatment with glycine.

Vascular endothelial function is improved by oral glycine treatment in aged rats

“…Many efforts have been made to reverse endothelial dysfunction or improve overall endothelial function (Durrant et al 2009;Idris et al 2012). To this end, many investigations have demonstrated that glycine has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities (Brawley et al 2004;El-Hafidi et al 2006;Alarcon-Aguilar et al 2008). Therefore, we investigated whether this amino acid could be useful in treating age-associated vascular endothelial dysfunction.…”

“…M, mol/L. glutathione (GSH) pathway by glycine has been demonstrated to reduce high blood pressure in a model of metabolic syndrome (El-Hafidi et al 2006). In this sense, Sekhar et al (2011) found that glycine decreased the oxidative stress associated with aging by acting as a precursor in GSH synthesis.…”

“…Moreover, glycine inhibits TNF-␣ production in cells ) and in animal models of haemorrhagic shock (Mauriz et al 2001), type 2 diabetes, and obesity Cruz et al 2008). Glycine also reduces high blood pressure through its antioxidant properties (El-Hafidi et al 2006). In the vasculature, glycine intake promotes NO production and increases relaxation of the aorta and mesenteric arteries (Brawley et al 2004).…”

Dietary Intakes of Glutamic Acid and Glycine Are Associated with Stroke Mortality in Japanese Adults ,

“…This discrepancy between men and women may indicate that the observed significant associations between glycine intake and total and ischemic stroke mortality in men without a prior history of hypertension were by chance. Experimental studies have not supported that glycine could raise blood pressure; rather, some of them suggested favorable effects of glycine on blood pressure (26). Glycine is involved in the pathway for the storage of iron (27).…”

Isocaloric High-protein Diet Ameliorates Systolic Blood Pressure Increase and Cardiac Remodeling Caused by Maternal Caloric Restriction in Adult Mouse Offspring

“…the present findings suggest that the maternal intake of appropriate amounts of protein, in proportion to total caloric intake, is important for protection against the development of cVd risk factors in adult offspring. Protein is composed of various amino acids, among which glycine given to pregnant rats on a low-protein diet has been reported to reduce blood pressure [28,29] and improve vascular function [30]. at present we have no evidence for the contribution of glycine to the reduction of CVD risk factors in HPD-UN offspring; however, an analysis of changes in specific amino acids in this animal model is now under way.…”