ABSTRACT
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory respiratory disease characterized by variable airway obstruction, airway hyperresponsiveness, and airway remodeling.In the respiratory tract, nitric oxide(NO) is generated via oxidation of L-arginine that is catalyzed by inducible nitric oxide synthase(iNOS). In hypoxia-ischemia and inflammation processes, iNOS is induced to produce excessive NO, playing an important role in asthma, including the modulation of airway and vascular smooth muscle tone and the inflammation.This review focuses on recent research achievements regarding the relationship between NO and iNOS and asthma.
ABSTRACT
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory respiratory disease characterized by variable airway ob-struction, airway hyperresponsiveness, and airway remodeling. In the respiratory tract, nitric oxide ( NO) is generated via oxidation of L-arginine that is catalyzed by inducible nitric oxide synthase ( iNOS) . In hypoxia-ischemia and inflammation processes, iNOS is induced to produce excessive NO, playing an important role in asthma, including the modulation of airway and vascular smooth muscle tone and the inflammation. This re-view focuses on recent research achievements regarding the relationship between NO and iNOS and asthma.