Ornithine

What is ornithine?

Ornithine is a nonessential amino acid, which can be produced in your body from another amino acid arginine, so you do not need to get it from food to be healthy ^[1].

Ornithine Functions in the Human Body

Ornithine is ^[1]:

• A nonproteinogenic amino acid, which is not regularly incorporated into protein
• An ammonia scavenger
• A precursor of the amino acid proline (found mainly in the protein collagen)

Foods High in Ornithine

• ANIMAL FOODS: meat, fish, milk products, eggs ^[1]

Ornithine Supplements

Ornithine oral supplements without prescription:

• L-ornithine
• L-ornithine hydrochloride
• L-ornithine L-aspartate

Ornithine Health Benefits

L-ornithine L-aspartate supplements are POSSIBLY EFFECTIVE in reducing blood ammonia levels in patients with a liver cirrhosis and chronic hepatic encephalopathy ^[2,3,5,6,7].

L-ornithine supplements are POSSIBLY INEFFECTIVE in improving athletic performance ^[3,8,10,11].

There is INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE about the effectiveness of ornithine supplements in wound healing ^[3] or treatment of lysinuric protein intolerance ^[9].

Ornithine Safety: Side Effects, Toxicity

There is not much known about ornithine supplements safety. Pregnant and breastfeeding women should avoid them ^[3].

Ornithine Carbamoyltransferase Deficiency

Ornithine carbamoyltransferase deficiency or hyperammonemia type II is a hereditary disorder (X-linked) with a lack of the enzyme ornithine carbamoyltransferase, and consequently impaired conversion of carbamyl phosphate and an amino acid ornithine into citrulline (which helps to remove ammonia from the body), which results in increased blood ammonia levels ^[4].

Symptoms, which may develop in infancy or later in childhood and mainly in males, include persisting vomiting in a previously healthy individual, anorexia, lethargy, disorientation, and if not treated, coma and death ^[4]. Mental retardation is possible. Females with only one gene affected (heterozygotes) may have no symptoms, migraines after high-protein meals, or severe symptoms as males ^[4].

Diagnosis is made by finding increased blood ammonia levels and increased urine orotic acid levels.

Treatment includes a low-protein diet, hemodialysis, arginine supplements and certain drugs ^[4].