title: The effect of alcohol ingestion on exhaled nitric oxide.
abstract: The concentration of nitric oxide (NO) is increased in the exhaled air of patients with inflammatory lung diseases, including asthma, possibly reflecting cytokine-mediated chronic airway inflammation. Endogenous NO is generated from L-arginine by the action of several types of NO synthase (NOS). NOS have structural similarities with cytochrome P450 reductases. Alcohol decreases exhaled NO in animals, but this has not previously been investigated in man. We studied the effect of alcohol ingestion in nine asthmatic and 12 normal subjects, measuring the peak concentration of exhaled NO using a modified chemiluminescence analyser. A significant decrement in NO occurred in asthmatic patients (mean +/- SEM before ethanol 204 +/- 58 to 158 +/- 59 parts per billion (ppb) after ethanol; p < 0.02), without significant change in the normal subjects (122 +/- 14 to 114 +/- 15 ppb). Thus, in our study, alcohol decreased exhaled nitric oxide in asthmatic subjects but not in normal individuals. This may reflect preferential action on inducible nitric oxide synthase which is expressed in asthmatic airways. An inhibitory effect of ethanol on inducible nitric oxide synthase may contribute towards the effect of alcohol in asthma.
authors.affiliation: Dept of Thoracic Medicine, National Heart & Lung Institute, London, UK.
authors.forename: D H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Yates
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Kharitonov
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Robbins
authors.forename: P S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Barnes
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D001249:Asthma / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D012016:Reference Values; D012119:Respiration / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D009569:Nitric Oxide