Methionine-loading rapidly impairs endothelial function, by mechanisms independent of endothelin-1: evidence for an association of fasting total homocysteine with plasma endothelin-1 levels

What Was Tested

Researchers studied Endothelin-1 in this controlled clinical trial publication.

In the present study the researchers examined the impact of oxidative stress in the development of endothelial dysfunction in both chronic and acute (methionine-induced) homocysteinemia in humans.

The researchers also examined the role of endothelin-1 (ET-1) in the development of endothelial dysfunction in these two conditions.

Who Took Part

According to the abstract, 28 subjects were involved.

PubMed tags the participants as both men and women.

How the Study Was Run

In design terms this was a double-blind and placebo-controlled study.

Blinding on both sides kept the subjects and researchers unaware of who received Endothelin-1.

The comparison arm used a placebo, so changes seen with Endothelin-1 could be set against what happens without it.

Forearm vasodilatory response to reactive hyperemia, plasma total homocysteine (tHcy), oxidized LDL (ox-LDL), ET-1 and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule (sVCAM-1), were evaluated at baseline and 4 hours post methionine loading (4hPML).

What Was Measured

Topics PubMed links to this paper include Analysis of Variance, Antioxidants, Ascorbic Acid, Endothelin-1, Endothelium, Vascular, Fasting and Forearm.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a double-blind and placebo-controlled study of Endothelin-1 in 28 subjects.

With fewer than 40 people, it is a small study, so it is better read as an early signal for further research than as a settled answer.

Its findings take up roughly 8 sentences of the abstract and are left out here on purpose; the source paper is the place to read them.

The publication is from 2008 (Journal of the American College of Nutrition), a journal based in United States.

More context: the Endothelin-1 compound page, all human trials.