Endothelium-derived relaxing factor
From Free net encyclopedia
Endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF) was the tentative name of what was later discovered to be nitric oxide (NO). It is released by the vascular endothelium in response to a variety of chemical and physical stimuli. It causes the smooth muscle in the vessel wall to relax by activating the soluble guanylate cylclases (sGC), increasing the cyclic guanosin monophosphate (cGMP)concentration and activating the cGMP-dependend Proteinkinase I (cGKI), resulting in vasodilation. It is also the active substance absorbed into the blood stream by people using nitroglycerin tablets or spray under their tongue, by patch, pill or intravenous infusion of nitroglycerin.
EDRF was discovered and characterized by Robert F. Furchgott, a winner of the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1998 with his co-researchers Louis J. Ignarro and Ferid Murad.
Please refer to nitric oxide for a full treatment of the biological functions of NO.
External link
- R.F. Furchgott's website: The Nature of the Endothelium-Derived Relaxing Factor