1,721,267 research outputs found
The use of nitric oxide donors in pharmacological studies
No full textA growing appreciation of the involvement of nitric oxide (NO) in numerous bioregulatory pathways has not only opened up new therapeutic avenues for organic nitrates and other NO donors but also led to an increased use of such compounds in pharmacological studies. By definition, all NO donors produce NO-related activity when applied to biological systems and are thus principally suited to either mimic an endogenous NO-related response or substitute for an endogenous NO deficiency. However, the pathways leading to enzymatic and/or non-enzymatic formation of NO differ greatly among individual compound classes, as do their chemical reactivities and kinetics of NO release. Moreover, since the reaction of NO with oxygen is a function of its concentration, the same absolute amounts of NO generated over different periods of time may lead to substantially different rates of NOx formation and, consequently, to varying extents of side reactions, such as nitration and/or nitrosation of biomolecules. Matters are further complicated by compound-specific formation of by-products, which may arise during decomposition or metabolism, sometimes in amounts far exceeding those of NO. The term "NO donor" implies that the compound releases the active mediator, NO. Ultimately, this may be true for many different chemical classes of compound, since the principal NO-related species generated may be converted to NO, if not directly released as such. However, in a biological system, the redox form of nitrogen monoxide (NO+, NO. or NO-) that is actually released makes a substantial difference to the NO donor's reactivity towards other biomolecules, the profile of by-products, and the bioresponse. Such considerations are likely to account for much of the discrepancy in experimental results obtained using the same cell or tissue preparation but different NO mimetics. Thus, compound selection is not a trivial issue and the investigator should be aware of the key properties and differences between various NO donor classes in order to avoid misinterpretation of experimental results
The chemical biology of nitric oxide - an outsider's reflections about its role in osteoarthritis
No full textExcess formation of nitric oxide (NO) has been invoked in the development of osteoarthritis and blamed for triggering chondrocyte apoptosis and matrix destruction. Much of the evidence for a deleterious role of NO in disease progression has been obtained indirectly and inferred from the measurement of nitrite/nitrate and nitrotyrosine concentrations as well as iNOS expression in biopsy specimen, cartilage explants and cytokine-stimulated cells in culture. While these results clearly indicate an involvement of NO and suggest additional contributions from oxidative stress-related components they do not necessarily establish a cause/effect relationship. Many NO metabolites are not mere dosimeters of local NO production but elicit potent down-stream effects in their own right. Moreover, oxygen tension and other experimental conditions typical of many in vitro studies would seem to be at odds with the particular situation in the joint. Recent insight into the chemical biology of NO, in particular with regard to cellular redox-regulation, mitochondrial signaling and nitration reactions, attest to a much richer network of chemical transformations and interactions with biological targets than hitherto assumed. In conjunction with the emerging biology of nitrite and nitrate this information challenges the validity of the long-held view that "too much NO" is contributing to disease progression. Instead, it suggests that part of the problem is a shift from NO to superoxide-dominated chemistries triggering changes in thiol-dependent redox signaling, hypoxia-induced gene expression and mitochondrial function. This essay aims to provide a glimpse into research areas that may hold promise for future investigations into the underlying causes of osteoarthritis
Nitrated cyclic GMP as a new cellular signal
No full textNitric oxide–mediated production of cyclic guanosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cGMP) is a crucial signal transduction pathway that controls a wide array of biological functions. A new layer of complexity in mammalian cell regulation is revealed by the discovery of a redox-active nitrated cGMP derivative with the ability to post-translationally modify protein thiol residues by S-guanylation
Nitroxyl gets to the heart of the matter
No full textComment on: Paolocci, N., et al. (2003) Positive inotropic and lusitropic effects of HNO/NO- in failing hearts: independence from beta-adrenergic signaling. [Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 100(9):5537-42
Nitric oxide (NO) formation from nitrovasodilators occurs independently of hemoglobin or non-heme iron
No full textThe aim of the present study was to exclude a potential role of hemoglobin in the formation of nitric oxide (NO) from several nitrovasodilators. NO was measured with a chemiluminescence technique after purging with argon from the aqueous solution. Nitric oxide generation occurred in the absence of hemoglobin or non-heme iron. Sodium nitroprusside and SIN-1 released NO spontaneously. Nitroglycerin produced NO only in the presence of those thiols which are effective co-stimulators of guanylate cyclase. All other thiols degraded nitroglycerin only into nitrite ions without formation of NO. Our results support the role of nitric oxide as terminal activator of guanylate cyclase stimulation by nitrovasodilators
Molecular aspects underlying the vasodilator action of molsidomine
Full text linkUsing different techniques, we measured the kinetics of nitric oxide (NO) liberation from SIN-1, the metabolite of molsidomine, and some related sydnonimines like its thiomorpholinyl analog, compound C 78-0698, and compared it under identical experimental conditions with its biological action at the guanylate cyclase (GC) site, taking this target enzyme as a suitable bioassay. There was a close relationship between half-maximal activation of GC and the velocity of NO release. The thiomorpholinyl analog was slightly more active in NO liberation than SIN-1 and activated the enzyme more rapidly. The kinetics of SIN-1A and SIN-1C formation, determined by high-performance liquid chromatography, could be accurately described by a Bateman equation. Oxyhemoglobin shifted the concentration-response curve of SIN-1 at the isolated soluble GC concentration to the right, whereas methemoglobin was without any effect. The results of our chemical and biochemical studies suggest that velocity and amount of NO formation are the only rate-limiting factors of guanylate cyclase activation by sydnonimines like SIN-1. NO, therefore, exclusively is the mediator of their pharmacodynamic action. In remarkable contrast to nitrate esters like glyceryl trinitrate or isosorbide dinitrate, NO liberation is not dependent on the interaction with thiol-containing compounds like cysteine
Biotransformation of organic nitrates to nitric oxide by vascular smooth muscle and endothelial cells
No full textThe vasodilator action of organic nitrates is thought to be mediated by an increase in the level of cGMP following stimulation of the cytosolic enzyme guanylate cyclase in the vascular smooth muscle cell. However, direct evidence for the formation of the putative active metabolite, nitric oxide (NO) within the different compartments of the vascular wall is still missing. We here demonstrate for the first time that cultured vascular smooth muscle cells as well as endothelial cells from different species actively metabolize organic nitrates to NO. We furthermore present evidence for an outward transport of cGMP from both cell types following stimulation of soluble guanylate cyclase. The rate of NO release closely correlated with the rate of cGMP egression. Biotransformation of organic nitrates to NO appeared to comprise at least two different components, a heat-sensitive enzymatic pathway which is short-lived and prone to rapid desensitization and a second non-enzymatic component which is apparently unsaturable and longer lasting. The marked decrease in the release of NO and cGMP upon the repeated administration of organic nitrates suggests that the phenomenon of "nitrate tolerance" is mainly due to an impaired biotransformation. We propose that the metabolism of nitrates to NO may have important implications for the prevention of atherosclerosis and the therapeutic modulation of blood cell functio
Correlation between nitric oxide formation during degradation of organic nitrates and activation of guanylate cyclase
No full textOrganic nitrates develop their vasodilating potency by stimulating the enzyme guanylate cyclase. There are still several theories concerning the molecular mechanism of enzyme activation, the most likely of which sees nitric oxide (NO.) as the true modulator of the soluble guanylate cyclase. We therefore examined the release of nitric oxide from organic nitrates by means of a difference-spectrophotometric method and found that our results correlated well with the extent of enzyme activation. The more NO. was liberated from the compounds in question, the higher was the enzyme activation observed. When the examined nitrates were used in a concentration which caused a half-maximal enzyme stimulation, the result was a NO. liberation of striking uniformity. This correlation also applied to SIN-1 for which it has been assumed up to now that the intact molecule itself is able to stimulate the enzyme and not the nitric oxide released from it. We found the reaction between organic nitrates and cysteine to be highly dependent on temperature, while the extent of the observed enhancement increased with the number of nitrate groups per molecule. We also studied the potential effects of certain compounds on non-enzymatic NO. release and found that, in addition to methylene blue, thionine and brilliantcresyl blue, but not ferricyanide, were also effective inhibitors. So it seems likely that both an enzymatic and a non-enzymatic mode of inhibition of enzyme activity does exist. Since oxyhemoglobin is an effective scavenger of nitric oxide, its addition can inhibit enzyme activation by nitrovasodilators. Our results stress the important role of the non-enzymatic liberation of NO. from organic nitrates and related compounds as possible, perhaps even as the principal mode of activation of soluble guanylate cyclase by nitrovasodilators
Therapeutic uses of inorganic nitrite and nitrate - from the past to the future
No full textPotential carcinogenic effects, blue baby syndrome, and occasional intoxications caused by nitrite, as well as the suspected health risks related to fertilizer overuse, contributed to the negative image that inorganic nitrite and nitrate have had for decades. Recent experimental studies related to the molecular interaction between nitrite and heme proteins in blood and tissues, the potential role of nitrite in hypoxic vasodilatation, and an unexpected protective action of nitrite against ischemia/reperfusion injury, however, paint a different picture and have led to a renewed interest in the physiological and pharmacological properties of nitrite and nitrate. The range of effects reported suggests that these simple oxyanions of nitrogen have a much richer profile of biological actions than hitherto assumed, and several efforts are currently underway to investigate possible beneficial effects in the clinical arena. We provide here a brief historical account of the medical uses of nitrite and nitrate over the centuries that may serve as a basis for a careful reassessment of the health implications of their exposure and intake and may inform investigations into their therapeutic potential in the future
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