Background: Arginine is required for the detoxification of ammonia and the synthesis of
proteins, nitric oxide, agmatine, creatine, and polyamines, and it may promote lymphocyte
function. In suckling mammals, arginine is synthesized in the enterocytes of the small
intestine, but this capacity is lost after weaning. Objective: We investigated the significance
of intestinal arginine production for neonatal development in a murine model of chronic
arginine deficiency. Design: Two lines of transgenic mice that express different levels of …