Trial reportClinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland)2015
Citrulline stimulates muscle protein synthesis in the post-absorptive state in healthy people fed a low-protein diet - A pilot study.
Trial report in Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland), 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 26 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
26 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 72 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effect of L-Citrulline Supplementation on Blood Pressure: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Clinical Trials.Current hypertension reports · 2018Pooled it
- A young child formula with Limosilactobacillus reuteri and GOS modulates gut microbiome and enhances bone and muscle development: a randomized trial.Nature communications · 2025Trial
- The effect of quercetin and citrulline on cycling time trial performance.Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2024Trial
- Acute ingestion of a ketone monoester, whey protein, or their co-ingestion in the overnight postabsorptive state elicit a similar stimulation of myofibrillar protein synthesis rates in young males: a double-blind randomized trial.The American journal of clinical nutrition · 2024Trial
- Trial
- Trial
- Potential role of L-citrulline in regulating exercise performance and muscle protein metabolism.NPJ science of food · 2026Review
- Review
- Respiratory efficiency and thermoregulatory responses of L-citrulline-supplemented broiler chickens under acute and chronic stress conditions.Frontiers in physiology · 2026Article
- Integrated multi-omics reveals potential regulatory mechanisms of meat quality.Food chemistry. Molecular sciences · 2025Article
- The Emerging Role of Citrulline and Theanine in Health and Disease: A Comprehensive Review.Nutrients · 2025Review
- Nonessential amino acid is not nonessential in geriatric patients: implications for maxillofacial wound healing and bone repair.Maxillofacial plastic and reconstructive surgery · 2025Review
- Article
- Targeting muscle-vasculature crosstalk in aging through the integrative roles of L-citrulline, leucine, and exercise: focus on muscle metabolism, vascular function, and sarcopenia prevention.Frontiers in nutrition · 2025Review
- Development of a Two-Dimensional Liquid Chromatographic Method for Analysis of Urea Cycle Amino Acids.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Dietary supplements and vascular function in hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.Pflugers Archiv : European journal of physiology · 2023Review
- Metabolomic and Transcriptomic Changes Underlying the Effects ofAnimals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2023Article
- Plasma metabolome study reveals metabolic changes induced by pharmacological castration and testosterone supplementation in healthy young men.Scientific reports · 2022Article
- Protein and Sport: Alternative Sources and Strategies for Bioactive and Sustainable Sports Nutrition.Frontiers in nutrition · 2022Review
- Dietary L-citrulline modulates the growth performance, amino acid profile, and the growth hormone/insulin-like growth factor axis in broilers exposed to high temperature.Frontiers in physiology · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
BACKGROUND &
aimsAmino acid (AA) availability is critical to maintain protein homeostasis and reduced protein intake causes a decline in protein synthesis. Citrulline, an amino acid metabolite, has been reported to stimulate muscle protein synthesis in malnourished rats.
methodsTo determine whether citrulline stimulates muscle protein synthesis in healthy adults while on a low-protein diet, we studied 8 healthy participants twice in a cross-over study design. Following a 3-days of low-protein intake, either citrulline or a non-essential AA mixture (NEAA) was given orally as small boluses over the course of 8 h. [ring-(13)C6] phenylalanine and [(15)N] tyrosine were administered as tracers to assess protein metabolism. Fractional synthesis rates (FSR) of muscle proteins were measured using phenylalanine enrichment in muscle tissue fluid as the precursor pool.
resultsFSR of mixed muscle protein was higher during the administration of citrulline than during NEAA (NEAA: 0.049 ± 0.005; citrulline: 0.060 ± 0.006; P = 0.03), while muscle mitochondrial protein FSR and whole-body protein turnover were not different between the studies. Citrulline administration increased arginine and ornithine plasma concentrations without any effect on glucose, insulin, C-peptide, and IGF-1 levels. Citrulline administration did not promote mitochondria protein synthesis, transcripts, or citrate synthesis.
conclusionsCitrulline ingestion enhances mixed muscle protein synthesis in healthy participants on 3-day low-protein intake. This anabolic action of citrulline appears to be independent of insulin action and may offer potential clinical application in conditions involving low amino acid intake.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.