Vascular biology: relevance of nitric oxide in vascular and nonvascular tissue with normal and decreased renal function.

Nitric oxide has been recognized as an important paracrine or autocrine system during the past decade. The generalized importance of this rather simple molecule has been demonstrated in of a variety of neural, epithelial, vascular and immune systems. The degree to which alterations in nitric oxide metabolism contribute to the physiologic and pathophysiologic status of patients with end-stage renal disease remains to be fully defined in both experimental animals and in humans afflicted with renal disease.