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Nitric oxide is a gas. It is highly reactive; that is, it participates in many chemical reactions. To produce this gas, enzymes in the body break down the amino acid Arginine.
Nitric oxide (NO2) is as a major signaling molecule in neurons and in the immune system, either acting within the cell in which it is produced or by penetrating cell membranes to affect adjacent cells. Nitric oxide is generated from arginine by the action of nitric oxide synthase (NOS). NO has a half-life of only a few seconds in vivo. However, since it is soluble in both aqueous(water) and lipid(fat) media, it readily diffuses through the cytoplasm and plasma membranes.
Nitric oxide (NO2) has effects on neuronal transmission as well as on synaptic plasticity in the central nervous system. In the vasculature, NO reacts with iron in the active site of the enzyme guanylyl cyclase (GC), stimulating it to produce the intracellular mediator cyclic GMP (cGMP), that in turn enhances the release of neurotransmitters resulting in smooth muscle relaxation and vasodilation(translation NO allows for more blood to inter the muscle cells).
Nitric oxide (NO2) may also be involved in the regulation of protein activity through S-nitrosylation. In the extracellular milieu, NO reacts with oxygen and water to form nitrates and nitrites. NO toxicity is linked to its ability to combine with superoxide anions (O2-) to form peroxynitrite (ONOO-), an oxidizing free radical that can cause DNA fragmentation and lipid oxidation(fat burning). In the mitochondria, ONOO- acts on the respiratory chain (I-IV) complex and manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), to generate superoxide anions and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), respectively.
Everyone human being needs nitric oxide to carry out key physiological processes within the body. From a bodybuilder's perspective, nitric oxide supplementation may prove useful in increasing growth due to increases in blood flow to certain areas of the body. Further, men suffering from erectile dysfunction may also find supplementing with nitric oxide helpful.
Signs of deficiency include the inability to achieve and sustain erections, physical weakness and extreme fatigue. Most "nitric oxide" supplements contain the amino acid Arginine-alpha-keto-glutarate.
As with all single point amino acid supplementation dosages should be followed to the manufactures guidance. Knowing that most athletes take some form of protein powder, adjust your NO intake to half recommended and judge form their after a weeks use to either stay at this level if recuperation and strength levels have increased slightly. Adjust your intake to the manufactures dosage and again observe your bodies reaction. If side effects are minimal and gains are steady then stay at that level and cycle 4 weeks on and 2 weeks off. This keeps the body from becoming stale to the effects of the supplemented NO2.
Cardiovascular effects of the phytoestrogen genistein.
Curr Med Chem Cardiovasc Hematol Agents. 2004 Apr;2(2):179-86.
Phytoestrogenic molecules have received a great deal of attention over the last few years because of their potentially preventive roles against a few of today's most prevalent chronic diseases, namely cardiovascular diseases, osteoporosis and hormone related cancers. Of the several phytoestrogens, genistein in particular has been shown to be the most efficacious in animal models and experimental studies. Genistein in vitro relaxes rat arteries by a nitric oxide dependent mechanism and enhances the dilator response to acetylcholine of atherosclerotic arteries. Genistein supplementation improves endothelial dysfunction induced by oophorectomy in rats and reduces infarct size in an experimental model of myocardial ischaemia-reperfusion injury. Furthermore, genistein in postmenopausal women increases plasma nitric oxide breakdown products, reduces endothelin-1 levels and improves endothelial dependent vasodilation in post-menopausal women. All these findings, taken together, would suggest that this molecule might represent an attractive alternative for cardiovascular protection.
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