Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Role Of Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase (Enos) Uncoupling On Leukocyte-Endothelial Interactions In Rat Mesenteric Postcapillary Venules, Maria Kern

PCOM Biomedical Studies Student Scholarship

Endothelial derived nitric oxide (NO) is essential in the regulation of blood pressure and attenuates leukocyte-endothelial interactions associated with vascular injury. However, when endothelial-derived NO is decreased, endothelial dysfunction results and promotes inflammation characterized by increased leukocyte-endothelial interactions. Under normal conditions, eNOS produces NO in the presence of an essential cofactor, tetrahydrobiopetrin (BH4) by facilitating the reduction of molecular oxygen to L-arginine oxidation and generation of L-citrulline. Whereas uncoupled eNOS refers to the electron transfer that becomes uncoupled to L-arginine oxidation and therefore superoxide (SO) is generated when the dihydrobiopetrin (BH2) to BH4 ratio is increased. SO is subsequently converted …