Abstract.
Nitric oxide plays a crucial role in cardiovascular homeostasis, with important vasodilatory, anti-thrombotic and anti-atherogenic properties. β-Adrenergic receptors (βARs), present on a wide variety of cardiovascular cells, including vascular endothelial cells, platelets, cardiac myocytes and leukocytes, have long been established as key players in maintaining cardiovascular homeostatic control. During the last few years a wealth of evidence has emerged which directly links stimulation of these cardiovascular βARs to nitric oxide (NO) generation, suggesting a new and important mechanism of adrenergic control of cardiovascular function. This review explores the cardiovascular cell systems in which this coupling of βARs and NO occurs, the intracellular signalling and regulatory mechanisms involved and the abnormalities in βAR-NO oxide coupling found in cardiovascular disease states.
Keywords. β-adrenergic receptors, nitric oxide, cardiovascular system, endothelium, platelets, cardiac myocytes
Footnotes
Received 30 September 2005; received after revision 24 November 2005; accepted 24 January 2006