Vascular ossification – calcification in metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, and calciphylaxis – calcific uremic arteriolopathy: the emerging role of sodium thiosulfate

Table 7 The positive effects of eNOS and eNO

• Promotes vasodilatation of vascular smooth muscle.
• Counteracts smooth muscle cell proliferation.
• Decreases platelet adhesiveness.
• Decreases adhesiveness of the endothelial layer to monocytic WBCs (the "teflon effect").
• Anti-inflammatory effect.
• Anti-oxidant effect. It scavenges reactive oxygen species locally, and acts as a chain-breaking antioxidant to scavenge ROS.
• Anti-fibrotic effect. When NO is normal or elevated, matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are quiescent; conversely if NO is low, MMPs are elevated and active. MMPs are redox sensitive.
• NO inhibits prooxidant actions of uric acid during copper-mediated LDL oxidation.
• NO has diverse anti-atherosclerotic actions on the arterial vessel wall including antioxidant effects by direct scavenging of ROS – reactive nitrogen species RNS.