Elgün S, Güney K, Tuncer M, Gökhun I H
Ankara University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry, Turkey.
Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2000;257(3):158-60. doi: 10.1007/s004050050214.
Since arginase has been found to be an arginine-depleting and nitric oxide synthase-regulating enzyme, the present study was devised to examine hypertrophied and infected tonsil and adenoid arginase activity in relation to a metabolic arginase-nitric oxide pathway and its association with disease processes. Tissues were taken from 32 children undergoing adenotonsillectomy. There was a statistically significant difference between the two tissue enzyme activities, with tonsillar arginase activity being higher than the corresponding adenoidal tissue (P < 0.005). This suggests a potential role for tissue arginase activity as an outcome module and a contributing factor in chronic recurrent infection and hypertrophy of tonsillar and adenoidal tissues.
