Nitric oxide (neurotransmitter): definition and functions

A molecule involved in nervous system processes, such as memory or sleep.

Some of you may think that nitric oxide is a laughing gas, better known as "laughing gas". Well, that is nitrous oxide (N2O).

In this article we will talk about nitric oxide, also called nitrogen monoxide or NO (is a fat-soluble gaseous molecule that acts as a neurotransmitter in the brain and carries out different functions within our organism.

Since its discovery, nitric oxide has become one of the most studied molecules in human physiology. Studies confirm nitric oxide's natural ability to prevent clotting, regulate inflammation, revitalize tissues, improve erectile dysfunction or kill invading microorganisms and even eradicate cancer cells.

In addition, nitric oxide favors erection, and as a supplement it is consumed in the circuits of sports training and bodybuilding, as it favors resistance to fatigue and improves muscle development.

Characteristics of nitric oxide

This gas has aroused great scientific interest. As early as 1970, an American doctor named Ferid Murad noticed that the nitrates used when people suffer from chest pains or cardiovascular problems release nitric oxide, since this substance has a dilating effect on the Blood vessels and relaxes the muscular layer in the endothelium..

A few years later, in 1987, studies confirmed that the human body produces nitric oxide, prompting research into how it is formed, what it does and what the functions of this compound are within the human body. In 1998, the authors of these discoveries, Robert Furchgott, Ferid Murad and Louis J. Ignarro, received the Nobel Prize.

How nitric oxide is synthesized

Nitric oxide is synthesized from the protein amino acid arginine and L-citrulline, a non-protein amino acid.a non-protein amino acid, through the action of an enzyme called nitric oxide synthase (NOS). In addition, for synthesis to occur, oxygen and a coenzyme (an organic molecule that binds to the enzyme) are required. nad-reduced phosphate (NADPH). In most living beings NO is produced in different types of cells.

• Do you want to know the types of cells that exist in the human body? You can do so by visiting our post: "Main cell types in the human body".

Functions in our organism

In addition to the studies that I mentioned above and that earned the Nobel Prize to their authors, in the last three decades more than 60,000 researches have been carried out on this gas.

Nitric oxide has different functions in both the central and peripheral nervous system, among which areamong which the following stand out:

Since NO is a gas and its physicochemical functions are different from other neurotransmitters, it does not meet all of the above criteria. However, this does not mean that it does not act this does not mean, however, that it does not act as a chemical messenger.but that this type of transmission constitutes a particular form of transmission.

Generally, neurotransmitters are produced, stored and used when the nervous system requires them. Once they are used, an enzyme acts on them, often degrading them. In the case of NO this does not occur, as it is not produced in advance. It is synthesized at the moment it is needed.

Moreover, unlike other neurotransmitters it does not have a localized effect, but diffuses in many directions and, being a gas, can affect many cells. Therefore, although both classical neurotransmitters and NO send information, they do so in different ways.

Nitric oxide and its relation to Viagra

Research on this gaseous compound has also come to the conclusion that nitric oxide is of paramount importance in male erection.. In fact, the drugs used to treat erectile dysfunction act on the nitric oxide pathway that allows blood flow to the male organ.

One of the best known drugs to treat this problem is Sildenafil, which you will surely know by its trade name: "Viagra". But, what is the relationship between Viagra and nitric oxide? Well, when we think about having intimate relations with someone or we are in a situation in which intimate stimulation occurs, nitric oxide is the main source of nitric oxide, nitric oxide is released in the nerve endings of the male organ, which causes relaxation and relaxation..

This compound causes the relaxation of the muscles, the dilation of the corpora cavernosa and of the blood vessels in this area, and this relaxation allows the entry of blood into the arteries and, consequently, the erection. When nitric oxide is mobilized into the smooth muscle cells present in the blood vessels, it triggers different chemical reactions by increasing the chemical messenger cGMP, which leads to dilation of the vessels allowing blood flow. Once cGMP has performed its function, it is degraded by the enzyme phosphodiesterase (PDE). Viagra blocks phosphodiesterase, thus preventing cGMP degradation and improving erection.

• Reduces inflammation and blood clotting.

• It improves the performance of the immune system by defending against bacteria and fighting cancer.

• Increases sense recognition (e.g., smell).

• Increases endurance and muscle strength and development

• Has a positive effect on gastric motility

• Improves sleep quality

• Improving memory

• Nitric oxide as a neurotransmitter.

  Neurotransmitters are chemical molecules that send signals within the nervous system. Nitric oxide, being a gas, does not fit the classic definition of other neurotransmitters such as dopamine or serotonin.

  However, this gaseous molecule plays an important role in the nervous system, this gaseous molecule has functions as a neurotransmitter and neuromodulator..

  According to the authors Fernández-Álvarez and Abudara Morales, neurotransmitters, classically, should meet these requirements:

• It should be present in the presynapse
• It should be stored in the presynaptic terminal.
• It should be released upon presynaptic nerve stimulation.
• Exogenous administration of the substance would elicit a response identical to that caused by presynaptic nerve stimulation and the drugs must elicit the same modifications in the response caused by presynaptic nerve stimulation.
• At the synapse there must be mechanisms that allow termination of the action of that neurotransmitter substance on the postsynaptic neuron.
  • Would you like to know more about classical neurotransmitters? In our article "Types of neurotransmitters: functions and classification" we explain them to you.