Statins, Nitric Oxide and Neovascularization

Rho GTPases, statins, and nitric oxide.

The lipid-lowering drugs, 3-hydroxy-3-methylgulutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors or statins, are used in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Recent experimental and clinical studies suggest that statins may exert vascular protective effects beyond cholesterol reduction. For example, statins improve endothelial function by cholesterol-dependent and -independen...

Nitric oxide and the bioactivities

Nitric oxide (NO), previously known as Endothelium-Derived Relaxing Factor (EDRF) is involved in a wide range of physiological and pathophysiological mechanisms. It is synthesized endogenously by the enzymes Nitric Oxide Synthase (NOS) in specialized tissues from its precursor L-arginine, yielding L-citrulline as a byproduct. It is released by a family of isoenzymes, viz., the endothelial (eNOS...

Nitric oxide and the bioactivities

Nitric oxide (NO), previously known as Endothelium-Derived Relaxing Factor (EDRF) is involved in a wide range of physiological and pathophysiological mechanisms. It is synthesized endogenously by the enzymes Nitric Oxide Synthase (NOS) in specialized tissues from its precursor L-arginine, yielding L-citrulline as a byproduct. It is released by a family of isoenzymes, viz., the endothelial (eNOS...

Nitric Oxide Production and Nitric Oxide

The Role of Nitric Oxide (no) and Statins in Endothelial Dysfunction and Atherosclerosis

Vascular endothelium plays an essential role in the regulation of the vascular tone, contributing to maintaining the balance between vasodilatation – vasoconstriction, owing to the production of endogenous nitric oxide (NO) under the action of different endogenous and exogenous factors. The loss of the functional integrity of the vascular endothelium, called endothelial dysfunction, in differen...