Arginine plays an important role in cell division, wound healing, removing ammonia from the body, immune function, and the release of hormones. It is a precursor for the synthesis of nitric oxide (NO), making it important in the regulation of blood pressure.
As a cation, arginine, as well as lysine, plays a role in maintaining the overall charge balance of a protein. Arginine also plays an important role in nitrogen metabolism. In the urea cycle, the enzyme arginase cleaves (hydrolyzes) the guanidinium group to yield urea and the L-amino acid ornithine.
L-Arginine is a basic, genetically coded amino acid that is an essential amino acid for human development. It is a precursor of nitric oxide and is synthesized by the body from ornithine. Arginine has been classified as a conditionally indispensable amino acid .
