Abstract

Since the discovery of nitric oxide as an endothelium-derived relaxing factor in 1987, investigations on its precise modes of action have been carried out at an extraordinary rate. Nitric oxide is now implicated in many physiological and pathological processes — not just in the control of vascular resistance, but in nerve transmission, cell proliferation, inflammatory responses and so on.Despite such rapid progress, no attempt has been made to combine the current knowledge of this subject matter in a single textbook. This volume has been written with the above in mind and presents a topical, comprehensive overview of the biochemistry and the physiological and pathophysiological effects of nitric oxide as they relate to the cardiovascular system. The therapeutic implications of nitric oxide are also considered. The text comprises contributions from many of the leading international authorities on the topic including Professor L J Ignarro, winner of the 1998 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.