Research Topic · Peer-Reviewed

Arginine

Arginine is a basic, positively charged amino acid that serves both as a building block of proteins and as a versatile metabolic intermediate. Classified as conditionally essential, it can be synthesized by the body but becomes dietarily important during growth, illness, and recovery, when demand exceeds endogenous …

Curated from this journal's research 📚 8 peer-reviewed articles cited Cited 31× across the literature 🗓 Reviewed June 2026

Overview

Arginine is a basic, positively charged amino acid that serves both as a building block of proteins and as a versatile metabolic intermediate. Classified as conditionally essential, it can be synthesized by the body but becomes dietarily important during growth, illness, and recovery, when demand exceeds endogenous production. Structurally it carries a guanidinium group that enables distinctive chemical interactions and underlies several of its biological roles. Arginine is the substrate for nitric oxide synthesis, generating a signaling molecule central to vascular tone, blood-flow regulation, and immune function, and it participates in the urea cycle, through which nitrogen from amino acid breakdown is detoxified and excreted as urea. It also contributes to the synthesis of creatine, polyamines, and other nitrogen-containing compounds, and it supports cell signaling, immune responses, and tissue repair. Within proteins, arginine residues frequently occupy functional sites, stabilizing structure and mediating binding through their charge. Its metabolism is regulated by enzymes that partition it between nitric oxide production and urea-cycle activity, integrating it into nitrogen balance and cardiovascular physiology. As a precursor linking protein metabolism to signaling and detoxification, arginine occupies a pivotal position in biochemistry. Study of arginine thus connects its structure and metabolic pathways to its roles in vascular regulation, nitrogen handling, immunity, and the synthesis of physiologically important molecules.

Research published in this journal

8 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.

How this research is being cited

The 8 articles above have been cited 31 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.

A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Arginine, linking to each citing work.

Editorial oversight

Curated from peer-reviewed research published in International Journal of Amino Acids.

Journal editorial board
Nicolas Inguimbert · France

This page summarises published research for orientation; it is not medical or professional advice.