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Nitric Oxide: The Molecule That Won the Nobel Prize |
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Nitric oxide is one of the body’s most important chemical messengers. The world learned about its physiological importance in 1998, when the Nobel Prize in medicine was awarded to three American scientists for their research showing that tiny cells in the lining of blood vessels, known as endothelial cells, play a key role in regulating vascular functions, particularly through the action of nitric oxide. |
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A Few Important Nitric Oxide Facts |
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- Relax and expand. Released by the endothelium, the inner layer of cells of blood vessels, nitric oxide relaxes and expands the vessels, keeps them flexible, and boosts blood flow. Nitroglycerin (used to relieve the chest pain of angina) works similarly.
- Our cells produce less nitric oxide as we age. Therefore, our blood vessels constrict and become less flexible, which contributes to hypertension as well as plaque buildup and inflammation in blood vessels—that is, cardiovascular disease.
- Erection enhancer. Nitric oxide’s positive effects on erections are boosted by drugs such as sildenafil (Viagra) and tadalafil (Cialis), which relax blood vessels and muscle in the penis, allowing for increased blood flow and thus an erection. Interestingly, Viagra was originally developed to treat chest pain known as angina.
- Cognitive enhancer. Nitric oxide also plays a role in the brain and nervous system. It is crucial in memory and learning, as well as in the regulation of the sleep-wake cycle.
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