Inhibitors of nitric oxide synthase in inflammatory arthritis.
There is considerable evidence that excessive nitric oxide (NO) synthesized from L-arginine by inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) plays an important pathological role in inflammatory arthritis. Since NO synthesized by constitutive isoforms of NOS has a physiological role, a great deal of activity has been directed at identifying inhibitors of NOS that are selective for the induced isoform. The major chemical areas that have been described so far in the search for such selective iNOS inhibitors and the activity of some of these compounds in animal models of arthritis are reviewed.
Boughton-Smith
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Department of Pharmacology, Astra Charnwood, Loughborough, LE11 5RH, UK. nigel.boughton@charnwood.gb.astra.com
Tinker
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