Abstract #0498

Effects of Tetrahydrobiopterin on Limb Blood Flow and Muscle Metabolism in Patients with COPD

Stephen Decker¹, Oh-Sung Kwon², Taylor S Thurston³, Yann Le Fur⁴, Eun-Kee Jeong⁵, and Gwenael Layec¹

¹Kinesiology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, United States, ²Internal Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States, ³Nutrition and Integrative Physiology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States, ⁴Centre de Resonance Magnetique Biologique et Medicale, Marseille, France, ⁵Radiology and Imaging Services, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States

Exercise intolerance is an important predictor of mortality in patients with COPD, and evidence shows reduced nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability is a contributing factor. Thus, restoration of NO using BH4, a cofactor involved in NO production, is a novel therapy for improving oxygenation and metabolism in these patients. Patients with COPD performed dynamic plantar flexion exercise with 31P-MRS and vascular Doppler ultrasound assessments following supplementation of BH4. Limb blood flow during exercise was unchanged, however, exercise-induced changes in metabolic measurements were improved with BH4 supplementation. Therefore, BH4 supplementation in patients with COPD appears a promising therapy to improve muscle metabolism.

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