The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1998

NO has many Clinical Applications

Today it is known that NO is also an important signalling molecule outside the cardiovascular system and has become a useful tool in the practice of medicine:

Neurons in the brain	NO can enhance the olfactory sense No is released in increased quantities in inflammation, a fact that can be used for diagnostic purposes

NO is important for signalling between nerve cells in the brain

Macrophage

NO is involved in the normal defence against bacterial and parasitic infections

NO initiates erection of the penis by dilating blood vessels

NO can be inhaled to specifically treat high blood pressure in the lungs of newborns
		Photo by Tommie Lindberg

Alfred Nobel suffered from angina pectoris and was prescribed nitroglycerine. In a letter to a friend he wrote:
	"It sounds like the irony of fate that I have been prescribed nitroglycerine internally. They have named it Trinitrin in order not to upset pharmacists and the public. Your affectionate friend, A. Nobel"

Contents:
Introduction » Furchgott's sandwich » Ignarro's spectral analyis » Murad's enzyme activation » Nitroglycerine, a 100 year old explosive and heart medicine » NO has many Clinical Applications »
These pages are based on material from the 1998 Physiology or Medicine Nobel Poster. Credits and references for the poster »