Sickle cell disease subjects and mouse models have elevated nitrite and cGMP levels in blood compartments.

ABSTRACT: The hypothesis of decreased nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability in sickle cell disease (SCD) proposes that multiple factors leading to decreased NO production and increased consumption contributes to vaso-occlusion, pulmonary hypertension, and pain. The anion nitrite is central to NO physiology as it is an end product of NO metabolism and serves as a reservoir for NO formation. However, there is little data on nitrite levels in SCD patients and its relationship to pain phenotype. We measured nitrite in SCD subjects and examined its relationship to SCD pain. In SCD subjects, median whole blood, red blood cell and plasma nitrite levels were higher than in controls, and were not associated with pain burden. Similarly, Townes and BERK homozygous SCD mice had elevated blood nitrite. Additionally,

SUBMITTER: Almeida LEF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6911650 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature