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nitrate
Monday 21 January 2008
The inorganic anions nitrate (NO(3)(-)) and nitrite (NO(2)(-)) were previously thought to be inert end products of endogenous nitric oxide (NO) metabolism.
These supposedly inert anions can be recycled in vivo to form NO, representing an important alternative source of NO to the classical l-arginine-NO-synthase pathway, in particular in hypoxic states.
The therapeutic potential of nitrate and nitrite is evaluated in conditions such as myocardial infarction, stroke, systemic and pulmonary hypertension, and gastric ulceration.
References
Lundberg JO, Weitzberg E, Gladwin MT. The nitrate-nitrite-nitric oxide pathway in physiology and therapeutics. Nat Rev Drug Discov. 2008 Jan 2; PMID: 18167491
