• 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. |