Asymmetric dimethyl arginine (ADMA) is an endogenous inhibitor of Nitric Oxide Synthase (NOS) enzyme. Methylated arginine has been found in human urine for the first time in the 1970s. However the first study with ADMA has been made among patients with chronic renal failure in 1992. It has been reported by many studies that ADMA contributed in endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerosis and can be used as a marker in recent years. ADMA was found to be elevated in the serum in cases of renal insufficiency, atherosclerosis, hyperglycemia and in hyperhomocysteinemia. In this review we will study ADMA structure, synthesis, metabolism and its relationship with clinical conditions.
Keywords: Asymmetric dimethyl arginine, nitric oxide