Nitric oxide may benefit patients with septic shock
December 16th, 2009 - 1:29 pm ICT by ANIWashington, Dec 16 (ANI): A team of scientists in Belgium has found an unexpected ally for the treatment of septic shock, the major cause of death in intensive care units.
Researchers at VIB and Ghent University in Flanders discovered that by inducing the release of nitric oxide (NO) gas in mice with septic shock, the animal’s organs showed much less damage, while their chances of survival increased significantly.
That’s contrary to all expectations, since it is generally assumed that nitric oxide is responsible for the potentially lethal drop in blood pressure in septic shock.
Septic shock, or sepsis, is a medical condition in which acute inflammation, low blood pressure, and blood clotting cause a dangerous decrease in the delivery of blood to the organs. Because of the lack of oxygen, the patient’s organs start to fail, one after the other.
It is generally assumed that nitric oxide (NO) gas is responsible for the hypotension and cardiovascular collapse in septic shock. Therefore, a lot of medical research is focused on combating NO, which is also a messenger molecule in the body.
Attempts to inhibit its production paradoxically led to a worsening of the organ damage and in an increased lethality, both in animal models and in a clinical trial in sepsis patients.
This led to the assumption that NO also has positive effects in sepsis, but up to now NO remained a prime suspect for the pathogenesis of the cardiovascular shock.
During the study, researchers Anje Cauwels and Peter Brouckaert administered nitrite − a substance that releases NO − to mice with septic shock.
The nitrite treatment, in sharp contrast with the worsening effect of inhibiting NO-synthesis, significantly attenuates hypothermia, mitochondrial damage, oxidative stress and dysfunction, tissue infarction, and mortality in mice.
It is not yet known what mechanisms are at work behind this observation. That will be the subject of further research.
For now, not only is this discovery revolutionizing the way in which scientists view nitric oxide’s role in septic shock − it also opens possibilities for treatment.
The study will appear in The Journal of Experimental Medicine. (ANI)
- Exercise protects heart via nitric oxide - May 05, 2011
- Exercise protects heart from injury through nitric oxide - May 05, 2011
- Blood vessel dysfunction linked to heart disease also plays role in Alzheimer's - Dec 03, 2010
- Taking apples daily keeps cardio risks at bay - Jul 08, 2011
- Nanoparticles help improve survival after blood loss - Feb 23, 2011
- Potential life-saving treatment for sepsis - Vitamin C - Nov 18, 2010
- New proteins that regulate blood pressure, flow identified - Jul 08, 2010
- Soon, therapeutic socks for diabetics - Mar 11, 2010
- Root cause of blood vessel damage in people with diabetes discovered - Jan 29, 2011
- Ancient Chinese herbal formulas for heart can produce nitric oxide - Aug 19, 2009
- Leafy greens 'could help protect vascular health' - Mar 24, 2011
- Common antibiotics, BP medications a bad mix: Study - Jan 18, 2011
- Vegetables, grain cut stroke risk in women - Dec 04, 2011
- Inhaling nitric oxide alleviates pain in sickle cell patients - Oct 20, 2010
- Fertilizer chemicals harm reproductive functions of water organisms - Aug 28, 2010
Tags: acute inflammation, animal models, cardiovascular collapse, drop in blood pressure, flanders, ghent university, infarction, intensive care units, lack of oxygen, lethality, low blood pressure, messenger molecule, organ damage, pathogenesis, prime suspect, sepsis, septic shock, study researchers, unexpected ally, vib