Abstract

The discovery that mammalian cells generate nitric oxide, a gas previously considered to be merely an atmospheric pollutant, is providing important information about many biologic processes. Nitric oxide is synthesized from the amino acid L-arginine by a family of enzymes, the nitric oxide synthases, through a hitherto unrecognized metabolic route -- namely, the L-arginine-nitric oxide pathway18.The synthesis of nitric oxide by vascular endothelium is responsible for the vasodilator tone that is essential for the regulation of blood pressure. In the central nervous system nitric oxide is a neurotransmitter that underpins several functions, including the formation of memory. . . .

Keywords

Nitric oxideArginineEndotheliumNitric oxide synthaseArginaseMedicineBiochemistryPharmacologyAmino acidChemistryInternal medicine

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Year
1993
Type
review
Volume
329
Issue
27
Pages
2002-2012
Citations
6683
Access
Closed

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Franklin H. Epstein, Salvador Moncada, Annie Higgs (1993). The L-Arginine-Nitric Oxide Pathway. New England Journal of Medicine , 329 (27) , 2002-2012. https://doi.org/10.1056/nejm199312303292706

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DOI
10.1056/nejm199312303292706