Nitrosigine®

Overview: 

Nitrosigine® is a patented ingredient, which is made up of an inositol stabilized version of L-arginine silicate. L-arginine, like L-citrulline, is involved in the process of producing nitric oxide, which can have a variety of beneficial effects on performance in the body such as vasodilation, blood flow, muscular endurance and much more. L-arginine is not as bioavailable (usable in the body) as citrulline, but once it is stabilized as in this version, the bioavailability is much better leading to increased effectiveness, and in many cases a more potent pump ingredient than citrulline.

Simple: 

When looking into this ingredient, there has been a lot of research and hopefully more to come. But for now, the research looks promising based on its ability to decrease fatigue, decrease muscle damage, increase blood flow and pump, and increase attentiveness and mental flexibility, all making Nitrosigine® a great candidate for a performance enhancing ingredient. Most of the studies have used 1500 mg (which is our selected dose in 2 scoops), but more research is needed to show other greater doses showing any significant change in effect.

Complex: 

When delving into the literature on Inositol stabilized L-arginine silicate, we see a similar set of mechanisms as L-citrulline, but with L-arginine, it is the direct precursor substrate to nitric oxide (NO) production via endothelial NOS (enzyme that catalyzes this reaction) meaning it theoretically is a closer precursor than L-citrulline is. [3]. However, we have seen evidence showing the decreased bioavailability of L-arginine compared to L-citrulline even though it is more of a direct link to NO production (See L-citrulline breakdown for more information). After the company Nutrition 21 formulated a inositol stabilized version of arginine (Nitrosigine®), that changed in the sense that now the ingredient is more bioavailable in the body leading to similar effects of citrulline.

A study showing the basic effects of Nitrosigine® on exercise induced muscle damage and perceived energy ended up finding that Nitrosigine® ended up showing that it can decrease markers or muscle damage such as creatine kinase. It also had results showing that during the exercise the Nitrosigine® group had a larger leg circumference [1], meaning that the nitric oxide and blood flow could have increased from the ingestion of that ingredient to the exercised areas.

On a more interesting level one study by Rood-Ojalvo specifically looking at Nitrosigine® as a workout ingredient showed favorable results after participants ingested 1,500mg a day measuring vigor-activity, fatigue, blood flow, leg circumference, and muscle recovery. It is important to note the small size of the study being 16, as the experimented group, but the results were notable. Vigor scores of exercise significantly increased compared to the placebo group, fatigue-inertia sub-scores (perceived fatigue) significantly decreased, leg circumference increased significantly by 1.0 cm compared to the end point of the placebo group, blood flow through the femoral artery increased by 10cm/s compared to the placebo group, and finally creatine kinase levels decreased in the Nitrosigine® group following the three days of supplementation leading to 44% less muscle damage [5]. The results of this particular study need to be researched further, but based on the results alone, this shows many experienced lifters that this ingredient could possibly be a more potent and effective vasodilator than even L-citrulline itself. 

In addition to its energy and blood blow effects, Nitrosigine® has shown its capabilities to enhance mental flexibility to get an increased mental benefit in the gym or while performing at a high intensity. In a study by Kalman et., they found that after giving participants mental tasks after consuming Nitrosigine®, the results indicated a medium to large effect based on the decreased time to completion in the experimented group. Finishing this task at a faster rate showed within 10 minutes of dosing that they were able to use better executive functioning, speed, and working memory. This may be because of the role nitric oxide may play in local concentration [2].

A final key aspect to keep in mind about Nitrosigine® is in a study done by Rogers et al. They demonstrated that this ingredient at 1500mg while paired with citrulline malate at 8g yielded a greater “flow mediated dilation,” or vasodilation, compared to a placebo [4]. This possibly shows the increased effects of these ingredients when paired together, as they affect the same process in the body.

Works Cited:

1. Inositol-Stabilized Arginine Silicate Reduces Exercise Induced Muscle Damage and Increases Perceived Energy: Original Research. (2023). Journal of Exercise and Nutrition, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.53520/jen2023.103141 (Original work published 2023)
2. Kalman D, Harvey PD, Perez Ojalvo S, Komorowski J. Randomized Prospective Double-Blind Studies to Evaluate the Cognitive Effects of Inositol-Stabilized Arginine Silicate in Healthy Physically Active Adults. Nutrients. 2016 Nov 18;8(11):736. doi: 10.3390/nu8110736. PMID: 27869715; PMCID: PMC5133120.
3. McRae MP. Therapeutic Benefits of l-Arginine: An Umbrella Review of Meta-analyses. J Chiropr Med. 2016 Sep;15(3):184-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jcm.2016.06.002. Epub 2016 Sep 10. PMID: 27660594; PMCID: PMC5021928.
4. Rogers JM, Gills J, Gray M. Acute effects of Nitrosigine® and citrulline malate on vasodilation in young adults. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2020 Feb 24;17(1):12. doi: 10.1186/s12970-020-00343-y. PMID: 32093766; PMCID: PMC7041093.
5. Rood-Ojalvo S, Sandler D, Veledar E, Komorowski J. The benefits of inositol-stabilized arginine silicate as a workout ingredient. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2015 Sep 21;12(Suppl 1):P14. doi: 10.1186/1550-2783-12-S1-P14. PMCID: PMC4595023.