title: Nitric oxide is not involved in vascular nociception of noxious physical stimuli in humans.
abstract: We tested the hypothesis that nitric oxide (NO) is involved in vascular nociception of physical stimuli in humans. Vascularly isolated hand vein segments of six healthy volunteers were pretreated with the NO synthase inhibitor, N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME; 10(-7)-10(-4) M) and repeatedly subjected to noxious thermal (2 degrees C, 52 degrees C) or mechanical stimuli (balloon distention) and, for control, to the endogenous algetic bradykinin (10(-6) M). L-NAME prevented in a concentration-related manner the algesic action of bradykinin, but had no effect on pain evoked by heat, cold, or stretch. NO is therefore not a general chemical link in nociception.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Experimentelle Anaesthesiologie, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Germany.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Holthusen
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ding
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001808:Blood Vessels / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester / Q000494:pharmacology; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009619:Nociceptors / Q000187:drug effects*; D010146:Pain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010812:Physical Stimulation
chemical_list: D009569:Nitric Oxide; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester