Nutraceutical COMP-4 confers protection against endothelial dysfunction through the eNOS/iNOS-NO-cGMP pathway.

The nutraceutical COMP-4 -consisting of L-citrulline, ginger extract, and herbal components Paullinia cupana and muira puama-has been shown previously to stimulate the production of nitric oxide (NO) in a variety of tissue types. We hypothesized that COMP-4 may have a protective, stimulatory effect on the vascular endothelial cell. Human umbilical arterial endothelial cells were incubated for 24 hours with or without COMP-4 and, to replicate impairment of endothelial function, co-incubated with or without H2O2.

Activation of the iNOS/NO/cGMP pathway by Revactin® in human corporal smooth muscle cells.

Background: The combination of the nutraceuticals, Paullinia cupana, ginger rhizome, muira puama, and the amino acid L-citrulline (COMP-4) has been shown to stimulate the production of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), nitric oxide (NO), and cGMP in rat corpora cavernosa smooth muscle cells (CSMC). When administered to middle-aged rats, long-term treatment with COMP-4 resulted in both an increase in the number of CSMC and an improvement in erectile function. We, therefore, aimed to determine whether a commercial formulation of COMP-4, Revactin, could have a similar stimulatory effect on human CSMC.

Exogenous l-ARGININE does not stimulate production OF NO or cGMP within the rat corporal smooth muscle cells in culture.

Background And Aim: Nitric oxide (NO) is the intracellular chemical responsible for initiating a penile erection. Despite conflicting clinical data, it continues to be publicized and promoted that orally administered l-arginine, the putative substrate for NO, enhances the erectile response presumably by stimulating NO production by the corporal tissues resulting in an increase in cGMP production. To shed light on this issue, an in vitro study was conducted to explore the effect of direct exogenous administration of l-arginine as well as its precursor and metabolite, l-citrulline, on the NO-cGMP pathway within the cavernosal smooth muscle (CSM) cell.