title: Nitric oxide and cyclic GMP levels in sickle cell patients receiving hydroxyurea.
abstract: Recent studies suggest that nitric oxide (NO) may partly be responsible for the beneficial effect of hydroxyurea (HU) in sickle cell disease (SCD) patients. NO stimulates cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) production, which mediates vasodilatation. We investigated the association between NO, cGMP and fetal haemoglobin (HbF) levels after HU administration. Our data showed that chronic HU significantly increased NO, cGMP, and HbF levels in SCD. Recently it was shown that HbF production was stimulated by cGMP-dependent protein kinase. Our results suggest that NO stimulates cGMP production, which then activates a protein kinase and increases the production of HbF.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesiology, and Center For Sickle Cell Disease, College of Medicine, Howard University, Washington, DC 20060, USA. mnahavandi@Howard.edu
authors.forename: Masoud
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nahavandi
authors.forename: Fatemeh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tavakkoli
authors.forename: Melville Q
authors.initials: MQ
authors.lastname: Wyche
authors.forename: Elliott
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Perlin
authors.forename: William P
authors.initials: WP
authors.lastname: Winter
authors.forename: Oswaldo
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Castro
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000755:Anemia, Sickle Cell / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D000986:Antisickling Agents / Q000378:metabolism / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006152:Cyclic GMP / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005319:Fetal Hemoglobin / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D006918:Hydroxyurea / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000986:Antisickling Agents; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D005319:Fetal Hemoglobin; D006152:Cyclic GMP; D006918:Hydroxyurea