Roles of Nitric Oxide in Brain Ischemia and Reperfusion |
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Authors: | Yijie Wang Fenfang Hong Shulong Yang |
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Affiliation: | 1.Experimental Center of Pathogen Biology, College of Medicine, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330047, China;2.Queen Mary University of London Nanchang Joint Program, Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330006, China;3.Department of Physiology, Fuzhou Medical College, Nanchang University, Fuzhou 344099, China |
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Abstract: | Brain ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) is one of the most severe clinical manifestations of ischemic stroke, placing a significant burden on both individuals and society. The only FDA-approved clinical treatment for ischemic stroke is tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA), which rapidly restores cerebral blood flow but can have severe side effects. The complex pathological process of brain I/R has been well-established in the past few years, including energy metabolism disorders, cellular acidosis, doubling of the synthesis or release of excitotoxic amino acids, intracellular calcium homeostasis, free radical production, and activation of apoptotic genes. Recently, accumulating evidence has shown that NO may be strongly related to brain I/R and involved in complex pathological processes. This review focuses on the role of endogenous NO in pathological processes in brain I/R, including neuronal cell death and blood brain barrier disruption, to explore how NO impacts specific signaling cascades and contributes to brain I/R injury. Moreover, NO can rapidly react with superoxide to produce peroxynitrite, which may also mediate brain I/R injury, which is discussed here. Finally, we reveal several therapeutic approaches strongly associated with NO and discuss their potential as a clinical treatment for ischemic stroke. |
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Keywords: | brain ischemia and reperfusion nitric oxide ischemic stroke |
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