Nitric oxide administered to rats reduced their pulmonary hypertension, informs the EurekAlert website.
Patients with pulmonary hypertension experience shortness of breath, exhaustion and a lack of vitality, and may be fatal after a few years. Available treatments can slow the progression of the disease and improve its symptoms, but it is not yet effectively treated.
Scientists from the Max Planck Institute in Bad Nauheim and the University of Giessen have succeeded – for the time being in rats – not only stopping the progression of pulmonary hypertension, but even reversing the changes they cause in the lungs – thanks to nasal inhalation oxide given within four weeks nitrogen.
The relaxing effect of nitric oxide (NO) on the endothelium of blood vessels was used here. Although nitric oxide is a simple inorganic compound, its biological action is very important. Perhaps the best known function of nitric oxide is related to maintaining an erection – Viagra (sildenafil) inhibits the action of the enzyme responsible for the breakdown of nitric oxide.
The endothelium (endothelium) is the layer of cells that line blood vessels. Thanks to its smoothness, it ensures trouble-free blood flow. It can also – by contracting or relaxing – regulate the diameter of the blood vessels, and thus – the blood supply to the tissues. Therefore, abnormalities in the epithelium lead to circulatory disorders – including pulmonary hypertension.
Endothelial contraction in pulmonary hypertension constricts the blood vessels in the lungs, which puts an excessive burden on the heart. An overloaded heart can become ineffective over time.
Under normal conditions, proper pulmonary pressure is maintained precisely thanks to nitric oxide, which relaxes the endothelium. Its secretion is influenced by many factors, which is why the causes of pulmonary hypertension are complicated. However, we could help all patients in the same way – by increasing the amount of nitric oxide acting on the pulmonary vascular circulation. Therefore, further studies are planned, this time involving humans. (PAP)