Table 4. Arginase activity in plasma, PBMCs and neutrophils of individuals with normal and low BMI.

BMI	Plasma	PBMCs	Neutrophils
≥18.5	0.0±2.2	29.0±7.9	1308±380
16.5–18.4	0.0±1.4	56.9±12.4	590±252
<16.5	0.0±1.0	39.4±12.0	781±404
p values (Kruskal Wallis)	0.5968	0.9333	0.2447
Correlation (BMI vs arginase activity) p values (spearman)	0.8010	0.5599	0.1977

The plasma, PBMCs and NDGs from individuals with normal BMI (n = 17) and low BMI (n = 24, of which 10 were moderately malnourished and 14 were severely malnourished) were isolated and the activity of arginase was determined by enzymatic assay. Correlations between BMI and arginase activities were assessed using a Spearman rank test. Statistical differences in arginase activities between individuals with a normal BMI, moderately malnourished and severely malnourished individuals were established using a Kruskal-Wallis test.