title: Evidence that endogenous nitric oxide modulates plasma fibrinogen levels in the rat.
abstract: This study investigated the effect of prolonged inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) synthase on plasma fibrinogen levels and platelet count in the rats. NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), when administered orally twice a day, at 10-100 mg kg-1, for 7 consecutive days, 14 times in all, significantly elevated fibrinogen levels and systolic blood pressure in a dose-dependent manner. The same dose range of L-NAME failed to alter platelet count and plasma protein concentrations. The increase in fibrinogen levels produced by chronic treatment with L-NAME at 30 mg kg-1 was reversed by L-arginine at 500-1500 mg kg-1 in a dose-dependent manner. These findings suggest that endogenous NO tonically acts to reduce plasma fibrinogen levels in rats under physiological conditions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Kinki University, Higashi-Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kawabata
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D005340:Fibrinogen / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester / Q000494:pharmacology; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000502:physiology*; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D010976:Platelet Count / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D001798:Blood Proteins; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D005340:Fibrinogen; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester