Tran N, Garcia T, Aniqa M, Ali S, Ally A, Nauli S M
Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine, Fort Smith, AR, USA.
Chapman University and University of California, Irvine, CA, USA.
Am J Biomed Sci Res. 2022;15(2):153-177. Epub 2022 Jan 4.
Endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) plays a critical role in regulating and maintaining a healthy cardiovascular system. The importance of eNOS can be emphasized from the genetic polymorphisms of the eNOS gene, uncoupling of eNOS dimerization, and its numerous signaling regulations. The activity of eNOS on the cardiac myocytes, vasculature, and the central nervous system are discussed. The effects of eNOS on the sympathetic autonomic nervous system (SANS) and the parasympathetic autonomic nervous system (PANS), both of which profoundly influence the cardiovascular system, will be elaborated. The relationship between the eNOS protein with cardiovascular autonomic reflexes such as the baroreflex and the will be discussed. For example, the effects of endogenous nitric oxide (NO) are shown to be mediated by the eNOS protein and that eNOS-derived endothelial NO is most effective in regulating blood pressure oscillations via modulating the baroreflex mechanisms. The protective action of eNOS on the CVS is emphasized here because dysfunction of the eNOS enzyme is intricately correlated with the pathogenesis of several cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, arteriosclerosis, myocardial infarction, and stroke. Overall, our current understanding of the eNOS protein with a focus on its role in the modulation, regulation, and control of the cardiovascular system in a normal physiological state and in cardiovascular diseases are discussed.
内皮型一氧化氮合酶（eNOS）在调节和维持健康的心血管系统中起着关键作用。eNOS基因的遗传多态性、eNOS二聚化的解偶联及其众多的信号调节作用，都凸显了eNOS的重要性。本文讨论了eNOS在心肌细胞、脉管系统和中枢神经系统中的活性。eNOS对交感自主神经系统（SANS）和副交感自主神经系统（PANS）的影响也将详细阐述，这两种系统都对心血管系统有着深远影响。还将讨论eNOS蛋白与心血管自主反射（如压力反射）之间的关系。例如，内源性一氧化氮（NO）的作用被证明是由eNOS蛋白介导的，并且eNOS衍生的内皮型NO通过调节压力反射机制，在调节血压波动方面最为有效。本文强调了eNOS对心血管系统的保护作用，因为eNOS酶功能障碍与多种心血管疾病（如高血压、动脉硬化、心肌梗死和中风）的发病机制密切相关。总体而言，本文讨论了我们目前对eNOS蛋白的理解，重点关注其在正常生理状态和心血管疾病中对心血管系统的调节、调控作用。
