title: Role of endothelial nitric oxide in cerebrovascular regulation.
abstract: Endothelial nitric oxide (NO) plays important roles in the vascular system. Animal models that show vascular dysfunction demonstrate the protective role of endothelial NO dependent pathways. This review focuses on the role of endothelial NO in the regulation of cerebral blood flow and vascular tone. We will discuss the importance of NO in cerebrovascular function using animal models with altered endothelial NO production under normal, ischemic and reperfusion conditions, as well as in hyperoxia. Pharmacological and genetic manipulations of the endothelial NO system demonstrate the essential roles of endothelial NO synthase in maintenance of vascular tone and cerebral perfusion under normal and pathological conditions.
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Research Center and Cardiology Division, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02129, USA. phuang1@partners.org.
authors.forename: Dmitriy N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Atochin
authors.forename: Paul L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000502:physiology*; D006152:Cyclic GMP / Q000502:physiology; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000502:physiology; D006931:Hyperbaric Oxygenation; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000502:physiology*; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III / Q000502:physiology; D020521:Stroke / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D009569:Nitric Oxide; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III; D006152:Cyclic GMP