HISTORY
- Over 100 years ago it was found that nitroglycerin can treat the pain of heart disease and heart attacks
- In 1987 it was discovered that nitric oxide was naturally produced in the body
- Nitrogen monoxide (NO) was the 1992 Molecule of the Year
- The work of the biochemical role of nitrogen monoxide by Robert Furchgott, Louis Ignarro and Ferid Murad was awarded the 1998 Nobel prized for physiology and medicine
NITROGEN MONOXIDE
- Nitrogen monoxide plays a role in blood regulation
- As blood pressure increases the walls in the arteries detect the increase
- In reaction, the walls produce nitrogen monoxide
- The nitrogen diffuses through the artery wall and into surrounding muscle tissue
- In response the muscle tissue relaxes causing the artery walls to expand and blood pressure to drop
- At first, this was thought to be just a poisonous polluting gas in the air
- Now, this tiny molecule is a signal-conveyor in the nervous system and fights against infections in our body
- Nitrogen Monoxide also controls erection and uterine contraction
- It is also plays a role in regulating blood pressure
BOYLE’S LAW
- Nitrogen monoxide plays a role in blood regulation and it applies to Boyle’s law
- Boyle’s Law states:
- At a constant temperature, the volume of a fixed mass of gas is inversely proportional to its pressure
HOW DOES IT APPLY?
- As blood pressure increases in the artery, nitrogen monoxide is released
- In response the increased volume of nitrogen monoxide increases decreases pressure in the artery, therefore the volume of blood in the artery which decreases blood pressure
- The drug V*agra ™ acts similarly as nitrogen monoxide
NITROGLYCERIN
- Nitroglycerin is a type of nitrate
- Found to be useful when treating pain from heart diseases and heart attacks
- Used to:
- Prevent chest pain
- Limit the number of heart attacks
- Relieve pain from an attack
- Treat the symptoms of heart failure
- Act on the smooth muscle of vessels to cause dilation of the arteries
- Nitrates are vasodilators, which means they help widen (dilate) your blood vessels, making it easier for blood to flow through and let more oxygen-rich blood reach your heart
- Better blood flow means your heart doesn’t have to work as hard
MEDICINE
- The drug sildenafil citrate was originally developed to treat chest pain, using the release of nitrogen monoxide in a manner similar to nitroglycerin
- Although, this drug wasn’t very effective in this role, there was one unexpected side effect in males: it produced nitrogen monoxide elsewhere in the body
- As a result, the drug V*agra was discovered
CONTRIBUTION TO SOCIETY
- Cures ED
- Relieves pain of heart diseases
- Cures angina
