HYPERTENSION AND NITRIC OXIDE
Nitric oxide is a molecule derived from the amino acid arginine that has been discovered in recent years to have myriad functions in the human body. More than 10,000 articles have been published in peer-reviewed medical journals in the past ten years on nitric oxide, which acts as a neurotransmitter in the brain, a targeted chemical in the immune system, and a messenger molecule throughout the body. Altered nitric oxide function has been implicated in diseases ranging from cancer to AIDS to heart disease and hypertension.Nitric oxide is released by the endothelial cells lining the arteries and arterioles. Although its effects are short-lived, nitric oxide is one of the most powerful vasodilators known. By relaxing the smooth muscles and thus increasing the diameter of the blood vessels, nitric oxide is a principal regulator of blood pressure. It is also a player in atherosclerosis, the stiffening and narrowing of arterial walls, as it protects the arteries by preventing the adhesion of platelets and white blood cells. Conversely, arteries that have been damaged by atherosclerosis have impaired synthesis of nitric oxide. In addition, nitric oxide has powerful antioxidant activity. Therefore, this substance plays multiple roles in hypertension.*14/313/5*
