Why the study?
Do risk factors for atherosclerosis impact the vasomotor effects of nitric oxide synthesis inhibition in patients with normal angiograms?
Do risk factors for atherosclerosis impact the vasomotor effects of nitric oxide synthesis inhibition in patients with normal angiograms?
Reduced coronary nitric oxide activity is associated with hypercholesterolemia, but not smoking or hypertension, in patients with normal angiograms.
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Hypercholesterolemia may selectively impair coronary NO activity; leaves open causal role versus other risk factors in early atherosclerosis.
We assessed the impact of systematic risk factors on the vasomotor effects of inhibition of nitric oxide synthesis. N(G)-monomethyl-L-arginine (LNMMA) was infused intracoronarily at 4, 8 and 16 micromol/min followed by intracoronary bolus administration of 250 microg nitroglycerin. Computerized angiography was used to assess the changes in the diameter of coronary segments. During the LNMMA infusions there was no significant difference in LNMMA response between smokers and non-smokers (-5.5+/-0.8 and -6.6+/-0.6%, respectively) or between hypertensives and normotensives (-6.4+/-1.1 and -6.1+/-0.6%, respectively), but the response was less in hypercholesterolaemic patients (-4.5+/-0.7 vs. -8.0+/-0.6%, p<0.05). Thus, the reduced nitric oxide activity is related to hypercholesterolaemia but not to smoking and hypertension.
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Tentolouris et al. (2000) studied this question.
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