Agmatine for Neuro and Autonomic Health.

[Remy]

ProHealth is being very timely for me these days...first the blood sugar support supplement and now a look at agmatine.

I originally bought some of this a few months ago but it got lost in the shuffle of trying other things. Now I'm thinking I need to give it another look.

I could certainly use some nerve resilience and improved autonomic function. I get so tired of sweating walking to the mailbox...

Pioneer Scientists Uncover a Revolutionary Neuroprotective Supplement for Nerve Health

By Gad M. Gilad, PhD

Resilient nerve functions are fundamental for maintaining normal sensory functions and nerve-dependent muscle strength and in turn, preserve good quality of life. Unfortunately, more than 20 million people in the United States alone cope everyday with circumstances that challenge healthy nerve functions!

But, thankfully, a pair of pioneering scientists discovered a unique and highly effective molecule that can sustain healthy nerve functions - including your sciatic nerves and other vulnerable nerves.
Pioneering research uncovered a hidden solution for sustaining nerve resilience
It's only very recently that neuroplasticity (the ability of your nervous system to adapt to harsh physiological or environmental changes) has caught the attention of researchers. And now, suddenly, it is a very hot research area.

But when the two pioneering scientists first started studying the nervous system reaction to harsh insults, very few people even considered it. For decades, this husband and wife research team (Dr. and Mrs. Gilad) searched for the underlying molecular mechanisms that maintain nerve resilience - and that means maintaining healthy nerve functions.

Through extensive research, they discovered that small amine molecules could accelerate neuroplasticity. But there was a problem - just the tiniest bit too much of these compounds was toxic.

Now they had a solid research direction but one major hurdle to overcome. They had to find a nontoxic nerve-protecting molecule.

Then finally, in late 1993, they came across the one molecule that changed everything: agmatine.

This well-hidden natural compound does something no other seems to be able to do. It speeds up neuroplasticity by enhancing the nervous system's own survival mechanisms, something that no other means on the market today can do.
The "magic molecular shotgun" works in ways a magic bullet never can
Conventional means have a very narrow focus, honing in on things like a single enzyme - termed the magic bullet approach. And that's why they'll never be able to handle a thoroughly complex problem like neuroplasticity in order to sustain healthy nerve functions.

You see, control of nerve functions is quite complicated, with many underlying systems kept in sync. That means more than one biochemical process is at work.

And that's just how agmatine works. It impacts multiple targets all at the same time, like a "molecular shotgun," as Dr. Gilad calls it. And this unique multiple method of action makes agmatine a true breakthrough for sustaining neuroplasticity.

Through painstaking research, scientists (including the Gilads) have uncovered several ways that agmatine protects nerve cells.1

• It improves the way your cells send messages to each other by boosting neurotransmitter function.
• It decreases pain-inducing activities, by preventing some mineral salts from getting into your neurons.
• It modulates the production of nitric oxide (NO) and thus enhances the ability of nerves to sustain insults.
• It cuts down on production of destructive enzymes (called metalloproteases) that can lead to nerve damage.
• It keeps AGEs (advanced glycation end byproducts of blood sugar metabolism) from damaging nerve cells.

The evidence is piling up
With all that capability, it's no wonder that agmatine is able to do what single-target drugs just can't: make a real difference in the ability of nerve cells to withstand harsh insults.

Even better, agmatine doesn't cause any dangerous side effects. And there's plenty of science to back this up - from decades of in vitro research to animal studies to human clinical trials studying agmatine's effects on nerve pain-free functions.

After studying agmatine for years in the lab and in animals with very successful outcomes, the Gilads switched gears to human clinical research in 2004. Their first placebo-controlled clinical trial, published in 2010,2 showed very promising results.

Straight on the coattails of a highly successful open-label trial showing agmatine's safety, the Gilads conducted a gold-standard study: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Sixty-one patients with sensitive sciatic nerves took either 2.67 grams of G-agmatine® (the high quality trademarked brand of agmatine) or a placebo daily for two weeks. And at the end of just two weeks, the subjects in the agmatine group saw an average 4.5-fold improvement in nerve pain-free functions and a 3.5-fold improvement in their quality of life as compared to the people in the placebo group.


An ongoing clinical study is evaluating the effects of agmatine on small fiber nerve (SFN) functions, which are very susceptible to physiological and environmental challenges such as changes in sugar metabolism and exposure to environmental contaminants. Enrolled patients take G-agmatine® for two months and changes in sensory functions, autonomic functions (such as sweating and balance), and nerve growth are tested. Interim results already show that agmatine sulfate has a significant effect in sustaining healthy sensory and autonomic nerve functions.

In the meantime, cumulative evidence of agmatine's safety and effectiveness comes from the practical experiences of thousands of people and many practitioners who have been using G-agmatine® (in the form of AgmaSet® capsules) for the last several years.
AgmaSet® - Need-to-Know Information
Backed by solid scientific research and sound clinical trials, AgmaSet®, containing G-agmatine® (the trademarked brand of agmatine) as its key ingredient, has proven safe and effective for resilient nerve functions.

Recommended regimen: Adults, swallow (do not chew) 2 capsules twice a day for 2 days (with or after meals). If no effect is experienced by then, continue with taking 3 capsules twice a day (or 2 capsules three times a day). It may take as long as 4 to 6 weeks before the effect is noticed. After the effects kick in, you can try going back down to the maintenance dose of two capsules, twice a day.

For more information about AgmaSet® visit ProHealth.com or call us at (800) 366-6056.

 

[Remy]

Here's another bit about inhibiting iNOS...

Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2003 Dec;1009:20-9.
Regulation of inducible nitric oxide synthase and agmatine synthesis in macrophages and astrocytes.
Regunathan S1, Piletz JE.
Author information

Abstract
Agmatine is a novel endogenous guanido amine synthesized from arginine by arginine decarboxylase.

Among several biologic effects, the ability of agmatine to protect against ischemic injury and chronic neuropathic pain is particularly interesting. Because inflammation is a common contributor to these conditions, we sought to determine if agmatine acts by decreasing the production of proinflammatory molecules such as nitric oxide and if agmatine synthesis is regulated by inflammatory stimuli.

We tested whether agmatine affects astroglial and macrophage (RAW 264.7 cell line) nitric oxide synthase-2 (NOS-2) expression. NOS-2 was induced in these cells by incubation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) plus three cytokines for astrocytes and LPS alone for RAW 264.7 cells in the presence and absence of varying concentrations of agmatine. NOS-2 activity was assessed after 24 hours by nitrite accumulation in the culture media. Agmatine dose-dependently inhibited nitrite accumulation, and shorter incubation with agmatine (1 and 4 hours) also caused significant reduction. Agmatine decreased the expression of NOS-2 activity and NOS-2 protein as determined by immunoblot analysis. Incubation of astrocytes and RAW 264.7 cells with LPS/cytokines for 2 hours resulted in an increase in arginine decarboxylase (ADC) activity, whereas longer-term incubation (12-17 hours) lowered ADC activity. Agmatine levels in these cells are increased after 6-hour incubation with LPS/cytokines.

These results show that agmatine inhibits the production of nitric oxide by decreasing the activity of NOS-2 in macrophages and astroglial cells by decreasing the levels of NOS-2 protein. These findings provide a molecular basis for the neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory actions of agmatine.

 

[Cort]

Cool - another potential supplement - another post to bookmark - thanks!