L-Arginine inhibits in vitro nonenzymatic glycation and advanced glycosylated end product formation of human serum albumin

L-Arginine (Arg) has a structure similar to that of aminoguanidine (AG) and may inhibit glycation and advanced glycosylated end product (AGE) formation. Human serum albumin (HSA) (100mg/ml) was incubated for 2 weeks with glucose (200mM) at 37°C or with glucose and equimolar concentrations of Arg, N-α-acetyl Arg, or AG with or without 25mM diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA). In the absence of DTPA, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry showed a 70% reduction of covalently bound glucose in the presence of Arg and a 30% reduction with AG. Digestibility by trypsin of HSA incubated with glucose and Arg was similar to that of HSA incubated alone. This suggests less covalent modification of HSA in the presence of Arg as compared with the absence of Arg. When incubations contained DTPA, autoradiography showed less14C labeling of HSA subunits in the presence of Arg and AG. When theα-amino group of Arg was blocked with an acetyl group, labeling was similar to that of HSA incubated with glucose, suggesting involvement of theα-amino group in the inhibition. Fluorescence of HSA at ex370 and em440 was reduced with Arg, but AG was more effective than Arg. These results suggest that Arg, like AG, can inhibit glycation and AGE formation.