Supplemental arginine and high-dose folate may promote bone health by supporting the activity of endothelial-type nitric oxide synthase in bone

• Published in: Medical hypotheses Vol. 64; no. 5; pp. 1030 - 1033
• Main Author: McCarty, Mark F.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Ltd 2005
• Subjects: Arginine - administration & dosage; Arginine - pharmacology; Bone and Bones - drug effects; Bone and Bones - enzymology; Bone and Bones - physiology; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Folic Acid - administration & dosage; Folic Acid - pharmacology; Humans; Nitric Oxide Synthase - metabolism; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III

The endothelial isoform of NO synthase promotes maintenance of bone density by stimulating osteoblastic activity while inhibiting bone catabolism; it appears to be a key mediator of the anabolic effects of mechanical loading, estrogens, and statin therapy on bone. This enzyme is susceptible to compe...