Arginine metabolism and wound healing

Abstract

Wound healing is a complicated process needed to restore homeostasis in the body. The two arginine utilising pathways involved in wound healing are the inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) to produce NO, and the arginase pathway producing ornithine, proline and the polyamines. iNOS is highly active in the inflammatory phase with NO affecting the cyclooxygenase enzymes and the release of inflammatory mediators. In the proliferative phase, NO affects arginase and therefore collagen production and cell proliferation. Both supplemental arginine and ornithine appear to be beneficial in wound healing. The roles and regulation of these pathways are discussed in the different stages of wound healing. Interpretation of data from wound healing research is complicated by the extrapolation of animal model data to the human situation and a lack of human studies.