Abstract
Vascular endothelium–derived nitric oxide (NO), originally identified as endothelium-derived relaxing factor,(–) plays a pivotal role in regulation of vascular homeostasis. NO is a major regulator of vascular tone and blood pressure, and has multiple antiatherogenic roles including antiinflammatory, antithrombotic, antiproliferative, and antioxidant effects.( – ) Loss of the bioavailability of endothelium-derived NO is the hallmark of endothelial dysfunction and is implicated in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease such as hypertension and atherosclerosis.(,) Therefore, it is of great interest to understand the molecular mechanisms regulating NO production by endothelium, which is likely to provide new insight into endothelial function in health and disease.