Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Nitric oxide release accounts for the biological activity of endothelium-derived relaxing factor

Abstract

Endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF) is a labile humoral agent which mediates the action of some vasodilators. Nitrovasodi-lators, which may act by releasing nitric oxide (NO), mimic the effect of EDRF and it has recently been suggested by Furchgott1 that EDRF may be NO. We have examined this suggestion by studying the release of EDRF and NO from endothelial cells in culture. NO was determined as the chemiluminescent product of its reaction with ozone2. The biological activity of EDRF and of NO was measured by bioassay3. The relaxation of the bioassay tissues induced by EDRF was indistinguishable from that induced by NO. Both substances were equally unstable. Bradykinin caused concentration-dependent release of NO from the cells in amounts sufficient to account for the biological activity of EDRF. The relaxations induced by EDRF and NO were inhibited by haemoglobin and enhanced by superoxide dismutase to a similar degree. Thus NO released from endothelial cells is indistinguishable from EDRF in terms of biological activity, stability, and susceptibility to an inhibitor and to a potentiator. We suggest that EDRF and NO are identical.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. 1. Furchgott, R. F. in Mechanisms of Vasodilatation Vol. IV (ed. Vanhoutte, P. M.) (Raven, New York, in the press). 2. Downes, M. J., Edwards, M. W., Elsey, T. S. & Walters, C. L. Analyst 101, 742–748 (1976). 3. Gryglewski, R. J., Moncada, S. & Palmer, R. M. J. Br. J. Pharmac 87, 685–694 (1986). 4. Griffith, T. M., Edwards, D. H., Lewis, M. J., Newby, A. C. & Henderson, A. H. Nature 308, 645–647 (1984). 5. Forstermann, U., Trogisch, G. & Busse, R. Eur. J. Pharmac. 106, 639–643 (1985). 6. Cocks, T. M. & Angus, J. A. in Vascular Neuroeffector Mechanisms (eds Bevan, J. A., Godfraind, T., Maxwell, R. A., Stoclet, J. C. & Worcel, M.) 131–136 (Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1985). 7. Martin, W., Villani, G. M., Jothianandan, D. & Furchgott, R. F. / Pharmac. exp. Ther. 232, 708–716 (1985). 8. Gibson, Q. H & Roughton, F. J. W. J. Physiol., Lond. 136, 507–526 (1957). 9. Gryglewski, R. J., Palmer, R. M. J. & Moncada, S. Nature 320, 454–456 (1986). 10. Rubanyi, G. M & Vanhoutte, P. M. Am. J. Physiol. 250, H222–H227 (1986). 11. Dale, H. H. Hull. Johns Hopkins Hosp. 53, 297–347 (1933). 12. Moncada, S., Palmer, R. M. J. & Gryglewski, R. J. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 83,9164–9168 (1986). 13. Blough, N. V. & Zafiriou, O. C. Inorg. Chem. 24, 3502–3504 (1985).

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Palmer, R., Ferrige, A. & Moncada, S. Nitric oxide release accounts for the biological activity of endothelium-derived relaxing factor. Nature 327, 524–526 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1038/327524a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/327524a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing