Nitric oxide as a regulator of inflammatory processes.
Nitric oxide (NO) plays an important role in mediating many aspects of inflammatory responses. NO is an effector molecule of cellular injury, and can act as an anti-oxidant. It can modulate the release of various inflammatory mediators from a wide range of cells participating in inflammatory responses (e.g., leukocytes, macrophages, mast cells, endothelial cells, and platelets). It can modulate blood flow, adhesion of leukocytes to the vascular endothelium and the activity of numerous enzymes, all of which can have an impact on inflammatory responses. In recent years, NO-releasing drugs have been developed, usually as derivatives of other drugs, which exhibit very powerful anti-inflammatory effects.
Wallace
John L
JL
Mucosal Inflammation Research Group, Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of Calgary, Alberta T2N 4N1, Canada. wallacej@ucalgary.ca
D000975:Antioxidants / Q000502:physiology; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000378:metabolism; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007249:Inflammation / Q000503:physiopathology*; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000502:physiology; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000502:physiology*
D000975:Antioxidants; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D018836:Inflammation Mediators; D009569:Nitric Oxide