Calvert John W, Lefer David J
Department of Surgery, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Carlyle Fraser Heart Center Crawford Long Hospital, 6th Floor Medical Office Tower, 550 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta, GA 30308-2247, USA.
Cardiovasc Res. 2009 Jul 15;83(2):195-203. doi: 10.1093/cvr/cvp079. Epub 2009 Feb 27.
Nitrite has long been considered to be an inert oxidative metabolite of nitric oxide (NO). Recent work, however, has demonstrated that nitrite represents an important tissue storage form of NO that can be reduced to NO during ischaemic or hypoxic events. This exciting series of discoveries has created an entirely new field of research that involves the investigation of the molecular, biochemical, and physiological activities of nitrite under a variety of physiological and pathophysiological states. This has also led to a re-evaluation of the role that nitrite plays in health and disease. As a result there has been an interest in the use of nitrite as a therapeutic strategy for the treatment of acute myocardial infarction. Nitrite therapy has now been studied in several animal models and has proven to be an effective means to reduce myocardial ischaemia-reperfusion injury. This review article will provide a brief summary of the key findings that have led to the re-evaluation of nitrite and highlight the evidence supporting the cardioprotective actions of nitrite and also highlight the potential clinical application of nitrite therapy to cardiovascular diseases.
长期以来，亚硝酸盐一直被认为是一氧化氮（NO）的一种惰性氧化代谢产物。然而，最近的研究表明，亚硝酸盐是NO的一种重要组织储存形式，在缺血或缺氧事件中可还原为NO。这一系列令人兴奋的发现开创了一个全新的研究领域，涉及在各种生理和病理生理状态下对亚硝酸盐的分子、生化和生理活性进行研究。这也导致了对亚硝酸盐在健康和疾病中所起作用的重新评估。因此，人们对使用亚硝酸盐作为治疗急性心肌梗死的治疗策略产生了兴趣。目前已在多种动物模型中对亚硝酸盐疗法进行了研究，结果证明它是减轻心肌缺血再灌注损伤的有效手段。这篇综述文章将简要总结导致对亚硝酸盐进行重新评估的关键发现，强调支持亚硝酸盐心脏保护作用的证据，并突出亚硝酸盐疗法在心血管疾病中的潜在临床应用。
