Effect of Glycine on the Microcirculation in Rat Mesenteric Vessels

Model experiments on biomicroscopy of mesenteric microvessels in laboratory rats were performed to evaluate the effect of natural metabolites (e.g., amino acid glycine) on the microcirculation. The effect of glycine was determined from a change in the diameter of arterioles. Application of glycine (0.1 ml, 1 M) to the mesenteric surface was followed by arteriolar dilation (by 50–80%). Histamine-induced disturbances in the microcirculation were not observed after preapplication of glycine. Under these conditions, pretreatment with histamine was accompanied by reversible changes. Our results suggest that the natural metabolite glycine has a prophylactic and therapeutic effect on microcirculatory disturbances, which are induced by inflammatory-and-allergic mediator histamine. Translated from Byulleten’ Eksperimental’noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 147, No. 3, pp. 279–283, March, 2009