Arginine protection against ammonia toxicity in exhausted rat.

ABSTRACT

Arginine administration (5 m moles/kg/day) to albino rats for 7 days, revealed that this vital basic amino acid possesses latent potentiality for the accentuation of urea cycle or at least for arginase activity. The mitigation of ammonia toxicity was observed to be more effective in the case of gastrocnemius and red vastus as compared to white vastus. Further, ammonia and lactate levels were also decreased by arginine in blood and thereby delaying the onset of fatigue by preventing ammonotoxemia and lactic acidemia.