Nitric oxide synthase isozymes. Characterization, purification, molecular cloning, and functions

Nitric oxide-based possibilities for pharmacotherapy

The goal of nitric oxide (NO) based pharmacotherapy is to reach proper homeostasis of NO metabolism in the target tissue where endogenous production of NO is either too weak or excessively increased. In addition to the classic NO-based therapy of cardiovascular conditions with nitrates, a variety of new therapeutic possibilities have emerged including sexual disorders, gastrointestinal system, immunology, tumour growth regulation and respiratory disorders. NO levels of target tissues can be affected directly by NO donors, or indirectly by increasing the level of L-arginine, a substrate of nitric oxide synthase (NOS). While increased production of NO by induceable NO (iNOS) by, for example, cytokines does not at present seem therapeutically meaningful, increased NO production by constitutive NOS (cNOS) may be involved in the beneficial effects of ACE inhibitors or oestrogens. NO production may be pharmacologically decreased by inhibition of expression of iNOS by glucocorticoids while both cNOS and iNOS derived NO production is inhibited by administration of false substrates, for example L-NAME. Additionally, the respiratory system and related vessels can be reached directly and more selectively by inhalation of pure NO gas. Possible problems in administering NO and perhaps some NO-donors include the toxic nature of the compound itself whereby vital enzyme systems may be inhibited and tissue damaging radicals formed. Future prospects of NO-based pharmacotherapy may feature selective ligands to different NOS isoforms and tissue selective donors that release NO in a controlled fashion.

Locus for the inducible, but not a constitutive, nitric oxide synthase cosegregates with blood pressure in the Dahl salt-sensitive rat

Alleles of the inducible nitric oxide synthase locus (Nos2) cosegregated highly significantly (P < 0.0001) with blood pressure in an F2 population [F2(S x MNS), n = 171] derived from a cross of inbred Dahl salt-sensitive (S) rats with Milan normotensive rats (MNS). In contrast, alleles at the constitutive brain nitric oxide synthase locus (Nos1) did not cosegregate with blood pressure in several F2 populations. Nos2 was mapped on rat chromosome 10. Nine genetic markers, including the angiotensin-converting enzyme (Ace) and Nos2 loci spanning roughly 46 cM on rat chromosome 10, all cosegregated strongly with blood pressure in the F2(S x MNS) population. Nos2 showed the highest LOD score of 6.3. Ace and Nos2 are 30 cM apart. In an F2 population [F2(S x WKY), n = 159] derived from a cross of S rats with Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats, Nos2 alleles did (P = 0.0070), but Ace alleles did not (P = 0.91), cosegregate with blood pressure. We conclude that the Nos2 locus rather than the Nos1 locus is a candidate for influencing blood pressure in the S rat. There are probably two separate but linked quantitative trait loci (QTL) for blood pressure on rat chromosome 10, one marked by Ace and the other marked by Nos2. In F2(S x MNS) functionally variant alleles at both QTL influence blood pressure, but in F2(S x WKY) only the QTL marked by Nos2 is segregating alleles influencing blood pressure.

Nitric oxide and endothelin in pathophysiological settings

The role of the endothelium is now known to encompass the generation of many potent cytokines which impact endothelial cells, adjacent tissue such as smooth muscle cells, and distant sites in an autocrine, paracrine, and endocrine manner, respectively. This review addresses two of these cytokines, nitric oxide and endothelin, and describes how each effects the functions of endothelial cells, including regulation of platelet aggregation and coagulation, regulation of vasomotor tone, modulation of inflammation, and the regulation of cellular proliferation. The emphasis is on the increasingly recognized importance of the autocrine and paracrine mechanisms by which nitric oxide and endothelin act. In particular, autoinduction of endothelin is proposed as a central mechanism underlying endothelin's renowned effects. Additionally, specific nitric oxide/endothelin interactions are discussed by which each cytokine modulates the production and actions of the other. The net effect observed in a variety of physiological and pathophysiological settings, therefore, reflects a balance of these opposing functions.