The Reemergence of Nitrite as a Beneficial Agent in the Treatment of Ischemic Cardiovascular Diseases.
Nitrite was a therapeutic agent used in the treatment of angina pectoris and hypertension, but was replaced by nitroglycerin. However, nitrite has recently been rediscovered following observations that this anion possesses novel pharmacologic actions such as producing vasodilation, modulating hypoxic vasodilation, and providing cytoprotection in ischemia-reperfusion injury. Moreover, recent observations in animal and human studies have demonstrated that the reduction of nitrite to vasoactive nitric oxide occurs through both enzymatic and non-enzymatic processes. These findings suggest that nitrite may act as a storage form for nitric oxide and provide support for investigating the use of nitrite in the treatment of ischemic disease states including pulmonary hypertension.
Nossaman
Bobby D
BD
Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care Medicine Section, Ochsner Medical Center, 1514 Jefferson Highway, New Orleans, Louisiana 70121 USA.
Akuly
Haseeb A
HA
Lasker
George F
GF
Nossaman
Vaughn E
VE
Rothberg
Philip A
PA
Kadowitz
Philip J
PJ