There is no author summary for this article yet. Authors can add summaries to their articles on ScienceOpen to make them more accessible to a non-specialist audience.
Abstract
The recent discovery that mammalian cells can synthesize nitric oxide coincided with
the identification of this simple gas as a factor involved in cellular communication.
Nitric oxide has now been shown to be derived from L-arginine in macrophages, endothelial
cells and possibly other cell types. Its physiological role in macrophages may be
as a cytotoxic agent. However, nitric oxide produced by endothelial cells is thought
to trigger vascular smooth muscle relaxation through activation of the enzyme guanylate
cyclase.