title: [The effects of nitric oxide and endothelia levels on plasma in patients with chronic heart failure].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the effects of prostaglandin E1 on plasma nitric oxide (NO) and endothelin (ET) levels in patients with chronic heart failure.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pulmonary artery pressure (PAP), pulmonary arterial and venous plasma ET and angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) levels were determined in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) and the effects of prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  (1) Pulmonary hypertension was present in patients with CHF. Plasma NO and ET levels in the pulmonary artery were higher than those in the pulmonary vein (P < 0.05), the levels in the latter was in turn higher than those in normal subjects (P < 0.05). (2) Plasma ACE levels showed a similar change, (3) The increase of plasma ET was more than the increase of NO in patients with CHF, thus, NO/ET ratio was decreased in CHF (P < 0.05). (4) PGE1 caused significant decrease in PAP but increase in cardial index. It decreased plasma NO, ET, ACE, and increased NO/ET ratio (P < 0.05). These effects became more apparent with the increase of PGE1 level.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  NO and NO/ET ratio might be involved in CHF by causing pulmonary hypertension and local vascular endothelium perturbation. PGE1 could inhibit these effects and play an important role in the prevention and treatment of CHF.
authors.affiliation: Department of Candiology, The 452th Hospital of PLA, Chengdu 610061.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000527:Alprostadil / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016232:Endothelins / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000097:blood*; D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D016232:Endothelins; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A; D000527:Alprostadil