Nitric oxide (NO) is a biologically active inorganic molecule involved in the regulation of many physiological processes, such as control of blood flow, platelet adhesion, endocrine function, neurotransmission and neuromodulation. In the present study, for the first time, we investigated the modulation of NO signaling in platelets of HD patients. We recruited 55 patients with manifest HD and 28...

Both cGMP-dependent and -independent mechanisms have been implicated in the regulation of vascular tone by NO. We analyzed acetylcholine (ACh)- and NO-induced relaxation in pressurized small arteries and aortic rings from wild-type (wt) and cGMP kinase I-deficient (cGKI(-/-)) mice. Low concentrations of NO and ACh decreased the spontaneous myogenic tone in wt but not in cGKI(-/-) arteries. Howe...

Intermittent fasting (IF), a type of feeding regimen where the frequency of eating is reduced enhances cardiovascular stress adaptation and improves cardiovascular risk factors in rats. Data on the effect of IF on the endothelium is not common, so we examined whether IF showed similarity to documented beneficial effects of caloric restriction on endothelium-dependent vasodilatory responses of r...

Nitrates are still widely used in the management of coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with stable and unstable angina, acute myocardial infarction and congestive heart failure. The therapeutic efficacy of these nitrates is due to peripheral venous and arterial dilation that results in decreased myocardial oxygen consumption. Nitrates also dilate large coronary arteries and collaterals w...

In addition to nitric oxide and carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide (H2S), synthesized enzymatically from l-cysteine or l-homocysteine, is the third gasotransmitter in mammals. Endogenous H2S is involved in the regulation of many physiological processes, including vascular tone. Although initially it was suggested that in the vascular wall H2S is synthesized only by smooth muscle cells and relaxe...

The vasodilator response of nitric oxide (NO), hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) were studied todetermine the significance of the actions and interactions of these gasotransmitters for controlling aortic tone in rats. The isometric tension of five separate sets of experiments was recorded. Sodium nitroprusside (SNP; NO donor), sodium disulphide (Na2S; H2S donor), SO2 derivatives a...