Sera from patients with sepsis induce nitric oxide production in vascular smooth muscle cells.
BACKGROUND
Nitric oxide (NO) is an important physiological mediator of vascular tone and is involved in pathophysiology of septic shock. Although plasma nitrite is a stable end product of NO oxidation derived from endogenous NO, the plasma nitrite level is also easily affected by the intake of various foods, bacterial products and renal functional status.


OBJECTIVE
We propose an excellent alternative assay technique for measuring endogenous NO production.


METHODS
We measured the nitrite level in cultured vascular smooth muscle cells (SMC) treated with serum obtained from patients with sepsis (4 patients), by means of a chemiluminescence detector.


RESULTS
The nitrite concentrations in such cells were significantly higher as compared to those in the cells treated with normal serum. Moreover, the increased nitrite levels in the SMC treated with the sera obtained from patients with sepsis were completely inhibited by L-nitroarginine (1 mmol/L), a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor.


CONCLUSIONS
These data suggest that this assay method enable us to know the ability of endogenous NO production in each patient.
Fujita
H
H
Department of Internal Medicine, Tokyo Metropolitan Bokutou General Hospital, Japan. fujita@ec.mbn.or.jp
Tomiyama
J
J
Kudo
H
H
Morita
I
I
Murota
S
S
D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D019335:Nitroarginine / Q000494:pharmacology; D018805:Sepsis / Q000097:blood*
D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D019335:Nitroarginine; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase