Reduced Expression of Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase in pulmonary Arteries of Smokers

摘要

Cigarette smoking has been associated with alterations in the structure and endothelial function of pulmonary arteries. Nitric oxide (NO) and endothelin-1 are endothelium-derived mediators with opposite effects on vascular tone and cell growth. To investi- gate whether cigarette smoking could induce changes in the syn- thesis of these mediators in pulmonary arteries, we compared the expression of both endothelial No synthase (eNOS) and endothe- lin-1 in the lungs of smokers with that in nonsmokers.