title: Use of NO donors in biological systems.
abstract: Owing to the increased interest in the biological roles of nitric oxide (NO) the use of NO donors is a desired method of delivering NO to the tissues of interest. This article gives an overview of the most commonly used classes of NO donors and their biotransformation to release NO. A major consideration when choosing an NO donor is the preparation and handling of the compounds. A method has been outlined for the preparation of S-nitrosothiols which eliminates the problem of the overall instability of these compounds both as a solid and in solution. The main aim of this article is to outline the methods used in assessing the ability of NO donors to elicit a biological response in vitro in particular relaxation of vascular smooth muscle and inhibition of platelet aggregation. In addition a method is described for assessing the toxicological potential of NO donors in vitro.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diabetes and Vascular Medicine, School of Postgraduate Medicine and Health Sciences, Exeter, England. J.M.Tullett@exeter.ac.uk
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Tullett
authors.forename: D D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Rees
mesh_terms: D001711:Biotransformation; D006801:Humans; D009126:Muscle Relaxation; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000502:physiology; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000502:physiology; D020030:Nitric Oxide Donors / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010974:Platelet Aggregation / Q000502:physiology; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D020030:Nitric Oxide Donors; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors; D009569:Nitric Oxide