Perspectives On No In Physiology And Pathology

Download or read book Perspectives On No In Physiology And Pathology written by Vernon J. Richardson and published by . This book was released on 2009-01-01 with total page 203 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since the discovery, twenty years ago, that nitric oxide had a physiological role in the regulation of vascular tone and blood pressure it has been shown to have many other activities and has now been associated with a wide range of disease processes. This volume introduces the reader to the enzymes that produce nitric oxide, the nitric oxide synthases, and summarizes their regulation and pharmacological inhibition. Then the effect that nitric oxide has in physiology and pathology, and the mechanisms that lead to these pathologies are considered. This collection of reviews is by no means comprehensive, but does cover some of the major areas of focus, and includes some new and developing areas in nitric oxide chemistry and biology. The authors have all been selected because of their expertise in the field and offer their own perspective on each topic. They should be credited for the high quality of their chapters which cover such a wide range of disease processes. Included are chapters on the selectivity of nitric oxide synthase inhibitors, cardiovascular disease, neuropathology, lung disease, bone and joint diseases, pain, and leukemia. Each chapter reviews that area of nitric oxide biology associated with normal physiological function and discusses how this changes during disease development. The articles serve to illustrate how nitric oxide can be involved in such diverse physiology and pathology and that understanding these processes may be useful for the development of therapeutic agents to treat these diseases.