Enterobacter cloacae PB2 was originally isolated on the basis of its ability to utilize nitrate esters, such as pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) and glycerol trinitrate, as the sole nitrogen source for growth. The enzyme responsible is an NADPH-dependent reductase designated PETN reductase. E. cloacae PB2 was found to be capable of slow aerobic growth with 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) as the ...

OBJECTIVE Diabetes is associated with vascular oxidative stress, activation of NADPH oxidase, and uncoupling of nitric oxide (NO) synthase (endothelial NO synthase [eNOS]). Pentaerithrityl tetranitrate (PETN) is an organic nitrate with potent antioxidant properties via induction of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1). We tested whether treatment with PETN improves vascular dysfunction in the setting of exp...

OBJECTIVES We investigated the development of nitrate tolerance after continuous exposure to nitroglycerin (GTN) as compared with pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) in humans. BACKGROUND Sustained therapy with GTN causes tolerance and has been associated with increased production of free oxygen radicals by the endothelium. Pentaerythritol tetranitrate is an organic nitrate that has been used...

BACKGROUND Short term exposure to nitroglycerin (GTN) has protective properties that are similar to ischemic preconditioning. Whether other organic nitrates such as pentaerithrityl tetranitrate (PETN) and isosorbide mononitrate (ISMN) have similar protective effects has not been explored. METHODS AND RESULTS In a randomized, parallel, double blind, controlled trial, 37 healthy young volunteer...

BACKGROUND The organic nitrate pentaerithrityl tetranitrate (PETN) has been shown to have ancillary properties that prevent the development of tolerance and endothelial dysfunction. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre study ('CLEOPATRA' study) was designed to investigate the anti-ischaemic efficacy of PETN 80 mg b.i.d. (morning and mid-day) over placebo in patients wi...

The foodborne enteric pathogen Campylobacter jejuni decorates a variety of its cell-surface structures with phosphoethanolamine (pEtN). Modifying lipid A with pEtN promotes cationic antimicrobial peptide resistance, whereas post-translationally modifying the flagellar rod protein FlgG with pEtN promotes flagellar assembly and motility, which are processes that are important for intestinal colon...

Objective. Oxidative stress and endothelial dysfunction contribute to pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The role of the nitrovasodilator pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) on endothelial function and oxidative stress in PAH has not yet been defined. Methods and Results. PAH was induced by monocrotaline (MCT, i.v.) in Wistar rats. Low (30 mg/kg; MCT30), middle (40 mg/kg; MCT40), or high (6...

Certain strains of Escherichia coli and Salmonella contain lipopolysaccharide (LPS) modified with a phosphoethanolamine (pEtN) group at position 7 of the outer 3-deoxy-d-manno-octulosonic acid (Kdo) residue. Using the heptose-deficient E. coli mutant WBB06 (Brabetz, W., Muller-Loennies, S., Holst, O., and Brade, H. (1997) Eur. J. Biochem. 247, 716-724), we now demonstrate that the critical para...

We previously described a gene, lpt3, required for the addition of phosphoethanolamine (PEtn) at the 3 position on the beta-chain heptose (HepII) of the inner-core Neisseria meningitidis lipopolysaccharide (LPS), but it has long been recognized that the inner-core LPS of some strains possesses PEtn at the 6 position (PEtn-6) on HepII. We have now identified a gene, lpt6 (NMA0408), that is requi...

The nitramine-containing explosive RDX and the nitroester-containing explosive PETN are shown to be susceptible to photofragmentation upon exposure to sunlight. Model compounds containing nitroester and nitramine moieties are also shown to fragment upon exposure to UV irradiation. The products of this photofragmentation are reactive, electrophilic NO(x) species, such as nitrous and nitric acid,...