ABSTRACT
Nitric oxide is produced in high amount from the break down of arginine by a group of enzyme called nitric oxide synthase. Nitric oxide is an intercellular messenger that has been recognized as one of the versatile player in the immune system. Cells of the innate immune system such as macrophages, neutrophil and natural killer use pattern recognition receptors to recognize the molecular patters associated with pathogens. The specific role nitric oxide plays depend on the place of its release which in the immune system inhibits the replication of bacteria.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Nitric oxide (NO) was among the first gas to be discovered in 1772, two years after the discovery of oxygen (O2) by the renowned Joseph Priestly.
Bogdan, (2000) defined nitric oxide as a free form gas that is produced in the body and is used by the body to communicate to other cells in the body. For more than two centuries this colorless and odorless gas was considered highly toxic. It is formed from nitrogen which comprises 80% and 20% oxygen of air. A highly reactive compound, it only exists for 6 to 10 seconds inside the body, then it is converted by oxygen into other compounds of nitrogen called nitrites. Uniquely, it is one of the few compounds with an odd number of electrons thereby making it a free-radical prone to ionizations. As one of the simplest compounds in nature, nitric oxide had been overlooked as an important factor to the body’s chemistry. Due to recent exposure however, thousands of new studies are being conducted concerning its application such as the role of nitric oxide in helping our immune system fight disease has been established (Bredt and Snyder, 1992). When our body notifies the immune system of an invader, our system uses other compounds to create nitric oxide. The nitric oxide in turn allows the macrophage S3 to devour such invaders as bacteria, Fungi and tumour cells (Bredt and Snyder, 1992). Nitric oxide has also been identified as a “messenger molecule” (Bredt and Snyder, 1992). In 1987, scientist working independently of each other in California and in England first revealed nitric oxide as a neurotransmitter. They were trying to identify the compound that caused the layer of cells that line the heart and blood vessels to relax. Finding that when the neuro-chemical acetylcholine 4 hit the surface of these cells released nitric oxide, scientists observed the relaxation of the muscle adjacent to the layer of cells. This discovery led to new breakthroughs toward better treatment for angina, hypertension and other serious heart problem. Nitric oxide since it is new understood to be the principal regulator of blood pressure (Quitab, 2003) is leading the old drug nitroglycerine in related breakthroughs.
The research was carried out in order to find out the functions nitric oxide carry in out body. It also shows how versatile the compound is which helps in carrying its specific roles.
DEFINITION AND PROPERTIES OF
NITRIC OXIDE
Nitric oxide is defined as a free form gas that is produced in the body and is used by the body to communicate to other cells in the body (Bogdan, 2000). A highly reactive compound that is also toxic also bears the name of nitrous air.
The chemical compound which is made up of one part nitrogen and one part oxygen is a simple molecule which is found in nearly major aspect of human physiology. It has been found to be produced by virtually every cell in the body such as cell of nervous and immune systems (Dash, 2007)
General properties of Nitric oxide
Name Nitrogen monoxide
Chemical Formula NO
Appearance Colorless gas Physical
Formula weight 30.0mn
Melting point 109k (-1640c)
Boiling point 121k (-152oC)
Density 1.3 x 103 kg/m3
Solubility 0.0056g
Thermo-chemistry
DF Ho liquid 90Kj/mol
DF Ho liquid 87.7kg/mol
50 gas/bar 211kj/mol
Source: Elfering et al., (2002)
DISCLAIMER: All project works, files and documents posted on this website, eProjectTopics.com are the property/copyright of their respective owners. They are for research reference/guidance purposes only and some of the works may be crowd-sourced. Please don’t submit someone’s work as your own to avoid plagiarism and its consequences. Use it as a reference/citation/guidance purpose only and not copy the work word for word (verbatim). The paper should be used as a guide or framework for your own paper. The contents of this paper should be able to help you in generating new ideas and thoughts for your own study. eProjectTopics.com is a repository of research works where works are uploaded for research guidance. Our aim of providing this work is to help you eradicate the stress of going from one school library to another in search of research materials. This is a legal service because all tertiary institutions permit their students to read previous works, projects, books, articles, journals or papers while developing their own works. This is where the need for literature review comes in. “What a good artist understands is that nothing comes from nowhere. The paid subscription on eProjectTopics.com is a means by which the website is maintained to support Open Education. If you see your work posted here by any means, and you want it to be removed/credited, please contact us with the web address link to the work. We will reply to and honour every request. Please notice it may take up to 24 – 48 hours to process your request.
