Nitric oxide (NO) was originally described as the principal endothelium-derived relaxing factor, but it is now known to subserve a variety of functions throughout the body, both physiological and pathophysiological. NO-donor drugs decompose in the body, by a variety of mechanisms, to generate NO. Such drugs have been used for many years in cardiovascular therapeutics, in particular the organic nitrates for the prevention and treatment of angina pectoris and sodium nitroprusside for the treatment of hypertensive emergencies. However, patients taking long-term nitrates often develop tolerance, and prolonged nitroprusside administration can give rise to cyanide accumulation in the body. Newer NO-donor drugs, in particular the S-nitrosothiols, offer advantages over the existing drugs, since they do not share these drawbacks, and initial small clinical studies suggest that they may be of benefit in a variety of cardiovascular disorders. Here we briefly review the chemistry and physiology of NO, and discuss the chemistry and clinical possibilities of the S-nitrosothiols.
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Review Article|
April 04 2000
S-Nitrosothiols: a class of nitric oxide-donor drugs
Haitham AL-SA'DONI;
Haitham AL-SA'DONI
1Centre for Cardiovascular Biology and Medicine, Department of Clinical Pharmacology, King's College London, St Thomas' Hospital, Lambeth Palace Road, London SEl 7EH, U.K.
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Albert FERRO
1Centre for Cardiovascular Biology and Medicine, Department of Clinical Pharmacology, King's College London, St Thomas' Hospital, Lambeth Palace Road, London SEl 7EH, U.K.
Correspondence: Dr Albert Ferro (e-mail [email protected]).
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Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Online ISSN: 1470-8736
Print ISSN: 0143-5221
The Biochemical Society and the Medical Research Society © 2000
2000
Clin Sci (Lond) (2000) 98 (5): 507–520.
Citation
Haitham AL-SA'DONI, Albert FERRO; S-Nitrosothiols: a class of nitric oxide-donor drugs. Clin Sci (Lond) 1 May 2000; 98 (5): 507–520. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/cs0980507
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