Bian Ka, Murad Ferid
Department of Integrative Biology and Pharmacology, The Institute of Molecular Medicine, The University of Texas-Houston Medical School, 6431 Fannin, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
Front Biosci. 2003 Jan 1;8:d264-78. doi: 10.2741/997.
On October 12, 1998, the Nobel Assembly awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology to scientists Robert Furchgott, Louis Ignarro, and Ferid Murad for their discoveries concerning nitric oxide as a signalling molecule in the cardiovascular system. In contrast with the short research history of the enzymatic synthesis of NO, the introduction of nitrate-containing compounds for medicinal purposes marked its 150th anniversary in 1997. Glyceryl trinitrate (nitroglycerin; GTN) is the first compound of this category. Alfred Nobel (the founder of Nobel Prize) himself had suffered from angina pectoris and was prescribed nitroglycerin for his chest pain. Almost a century later, research in the NO field has dramatically extended and the role of NO in physiology and pathology has been extensively studied. The steady-state concentration and the biological effects of NO are critically determined not only by its rate of formation, but also by its rate of decomposition. Biotransformation of NO and its related N-oxides occurs via different metabolic routes within the body and presents another attractive field for our research as well as for the venture of drug discovery.
1998年10月12日，诺贝尔大会将诺贝尔医学和生理学奖授予科学家罗伯特·弗奇戈特、路易斯·伊格纳罗和费里德·穆拉德，以表彰他们在心血管系统中发现一氧化氮作为信号分子。与一氧化氮酶促合成的短暂研究历史形成对比的是，含硝酸盐化合物用于医学目的在1997年迎来了其150周年纪念。硝酸甘油（硝化甘油；GTN）是此类化合物中的首个。阿尔弗雷德·诺贝尔（诺贝尔奖创始人）本人曾患有心绞痛，并被开了硝化甘油用于缓解胸痛。近一个世纪后，一氧化氮领域的研究大幅扩展，一氧化氮在生理学和病理学中的作用也得到了广泛研究。一氧化氮的稳态浓度及其生物学效应不仅由其生成速率严格决定，还由其分解速率决定。一氧化氮及其相关氮氧化物的生物转化通过体内不同的代谢途径发生，这也是我们研究以及药物发现领域的另一个有吸引力的方向。
