title: [A role of nitric oxide and endothelin in bronchial hyperreactivity in patients with mild and middle asthma].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To probe into a role of nitric oxide(NO) and endothelin(ET) in bronchial hyperreactivity(BHR) in patients with mild and middle asthma.
  
  
  METHODS
  MchPC20 was used as an index to evaluate BHR in the asthmatic patients. Endothelin and NO level in bronchial alveolar lavage fluid(BALF) obtained from 15 patients with attacking asthma(Group I), 8 patients with stable asthma (Group II) and 7 healthy control subjects (Group III) were examined by radioimmunoassay and copper coated cadmium reduction method, respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  1. MchPC20 and FEV1% in Group III were slightly higher than those in Group I (P < 0.05), and lower than those in Group III (P < 0.05), respectively; 2. NO and ET levels in BALF from Group I were higher than those from Group II and Group III (P < 0.05), respectively; 3. ET/NO ratio in Group I was higher than that in Group III (P < 0.05) and lower than that in Group II (P > 0.05); 4. NO and ET level in BALF from Group I were positively and negatively correlated with MchPC20, respectively(r = 0.83, P < 0.01; r = 0.75, P < 0.01); the correlation of NO and ET level in BALF from Group I was negative (r = 0.70, P < 0.01); 5. NO and ET levels in BALF and ET/NO ratio from Group II were slightly higher than those from Group III (P < 0.05), respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  NO may improve and ET exacerbate BHR in patients with mild and middle asthma. Bronchial hyperreactivity of the patients with stable asthma displays lightly abnormal, which may be due to mild abnormality of NO, ET levels and ET/NO ratio in BALF.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Second Affiliated Hospital, Hunan Medical University, Changsha 410011.
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xiang
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001249:Asthma / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016535:Bronchial Hyperreactivity; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid; D016232:Endothelins / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D016232:Endothelins; D009569:Nitric Oxide