The Role of Nitric Oxide in Heart Failure

Description

Nitric oxide (NO) is one of the most remarkable biological molecules characterized at the turn of XX century. Small in size, but ubiquitous and complex in its network of molecular, cellular and organ inter- tions, NO plays an important role in mammalian and non-mammalian biology. The scope and versatility of NO actions on the biological systems range from neuromodulation and regulation of cardiovascular homeostasis to cell signaling and immunity. An impressive array of physiologic and pathologic reactions are controlled by or associated with changes in the biological specter of NO. The “career” of NO in science started from a handful of publications written before 1986 to more than 52,000 contributions at the end of 2002 (Pubmed, National Library of Medicine). More than 15,000 publications deal with the effects of NO in the cardiovascular system. The NO field has been recently knighted with the 1998 Nobel Prize in Medicine awarded to R.F. Furchgott, F. Murad and L.J. Ignarro. Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Nitric Oxide in Heart Failure: Friend or Foe....Pages 3-7 NO and the Vasculature: Where Does It Come from and What Does It Do?....Pages 9-31 Myocardial Contractile Effects of Nitric Oxide....Pages 33-45 Nitric Oxide, Platelet Function, Myocardial Infarction and Reperfusion Therapies....Pages 47-54 Nitric Oxide, Atherosclerosis and the Clinical Relevance of Endothelial Dysfunction....Pages 55-70 Regulation of Cardiac Remodeling by Nitric Oxide: Focus on Cardiac Myocyte Hypertrophy and Apoptosis....Pages 71-79 Role of Nitric Oxide in the Pathophysiology of Heart Failure....Pages 81-92 Nitric Oxide, Cell Death, and Heart Failure....Pages 93-100 Acute and Chronic Endothelial Dysfunction: Implications for the Development of Heart Failure....Pages 101-111 The Role of NOS in Heart Failure: Lessons from Murine Genetic Models....Pages 113-128 Front Matter....Pages 129-129 Nitric Oxide and Cardiovascular Protection....Pages 131-136 Angiotensin II and Nitric Oxide Interaction....Pages 137-148 The Nitric Oxide-Endothelin-1 Connection....Pages 149-157 The Therapeutic Effect of Natriuretic Peptides in Heart Failure; Differential Regulation of Endothelial and Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthases....Pages 159-174 Mechanisms Underlying Nitrate-Induced Endothelial Dysfunction: Insight from Experimental and Clinical Studies....Pages 175-185 Statins and the Role of Nitric Oxide in Chronic Heart Failure....Pages 187-194 Role of Nitric Oxide in Matrix Remodeling in Diabetes and Heart Failure....Pages 195-200 Peroxynitrite in Myocardial Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury....Pages 201-211 The Role of the NO Axis and its Therapeutic Implications in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension....Pages 213-229 Nitric Oxide and Cardioprotection During Ischemia-Reperfusion....Pages 231-245