What is the role of Nitrous Oxide (N2O) in portal hypertension?

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From the Research

Role of Nitrous Oxide (N2O) in Portal Hypertension

There is no direct evidence of the role of Nitrous Oxide (N2O) in portal hypertension. However, the role of Nitric Oxide (NO) in portal hypertension has been studied extensively.

Nitric Oxide and Portal Hypertension

  • Nitric oxide (NO) is a powerful vasodilating agent that plays a crucial role in the hemodynamic abnormalities that develop in chronic portal hypertension 1, 2.
  • The deficiency of endothelial nitric oxide release is a key factor in the hemodynamic abnormalities associated with the dynamic component of portal hypertension 3.
  • NO production is increased in the splanchnic arterial circulation, resulting in splanchnic vasodilatation and subsequent increase in portal inflow, which contributes to portal hypertension 4.
  • The levels of plasma endotoxin and NO are elevated in patients with portal hypertension, and NO might play an important role in the abnormal elevation of portal venous pressure and the damage to liver function 5.

Therapeutic Strategies

  • New therapeutic strategies are being developed to selectively provide the liver with NO, overcoming the deleterious effects of systemic vasodilators 3, 4.
  • A nitric oxide-releasing derivative of ursodeoxycholic acid, NCX1000, has been shown to decrease intrahepatic resistance in portal hypertensive rats, providing a novel therapy for the treatment of portal hypertension 3.

References

3
Research

Nitric oxide and portal hypertension: a nitric oxide-releasing derivative of ursodeoxycholic acid that selectively releases nitric oxide in the liver.

Digestive and liver disease : official journal of the Italian Society of Gastroenterology and the Italian Association for the Study of the Liver, 2003

4
Research

Nitric oxide and portal hypertension.

Metabolic brain disease, 2002

5
Research

[The role of nitric oxide in the pathogenesis of portal hypertension].

Zhonghua wai ke za zhi [Chinese journal of surgery], 2000

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