Choi Yoon Kyung, Kim Young-Myeong
Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Konkuk University, Seoul, South Korea.
Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, South Korea.
Front Cardiovasc Med. 2021 Apr 12;8:649630. doi: 10.3389/fcvm.2021.649630. eCollection 2021.
Carbon monoxide (CO), generated by heme oxygenase (HO), has been considered a signaling molecule in both the cardiovascular and central nervous systems. The biological function of the HO/CO axis is mostly related to other gaseous molecules, including nitric oxide (NO), which is synthesized by nitric oxide synthase (NOS). Healthy blood vessels are essential for the maintenance of tissue homeostasis and whole-body metabolism; however, decreased or impaired vascular function is a high-risk factor of cardiovascular and neuronal diseases. Accumulating evidence supports that the interplay between CO and NO plays a crucial role in vascular homeostasis and regeneration by improving endothelial function. Moreover, endothelial cells communicate with neighboring cells, such as, smooth muscle cells, immune cells, pericytes, and astrocytes in the periphery and neuronal vascular systems. Endogenous CO could mediate the cell-cell communication and improve the physiological functions of the cardiovascular and neurovascular systems crosstalk with NO. Thus, a forward, positive feedback circuit between HO/CO and NOS/NO pathways can maintain cardiovascular and neurovascular homeostasis and prevent various human diseases. We discussed the crucial role of CO-NO crosstalk in the cardiovascular and neurovascular systems.
血红素加氧酶（HO）产生的一氧化碳（CO）被认为是心血管系统和中枢神经系统中的一种信号分子。HO/CO轴的生物学功能大多与其他气体分子有关，包括由一氧化氮合酶（NOS）合成的一氧化氮（NO）。健康的血管对于维持组织稳态和全身代谢至关重要；然而，血管功能下降或受损是心血管疾病和神经疾病的高危因素。越来越多的证据支持，CO与NO之间的相互作用通过改善内皮功能在血管稳态和再生中起关键作用。此外，内皮细胞与周围细胞和神经元血管系统中的相邻细胞，如平滑肌细胞、免疫细胞、周细胞和星形胶质细胞进行通讯。内源性CO可介导细胞间通讯，并改善心血管系统和神经血管系统与NO相互作用的生理功能。因此，HO/CO和NOS/NO途径之间的正向、正反馈回路可维持心血管和神经血管稳态，并预防各种人类疾病。我们讨论了CO-NO相互作用在心血管系统和神经血管系统中的关键作用。
