Figure 2.

Mechanisms of the favorable effects of carbon monoxide in cardiovascular diseases. Carbon monoxide (CO) can exhibit inhibitory effects on the initiation and progression of cardiovascular disease. (1) CO could suppress the formation of atherosclerosis in the coronary artery and prevent the initiation of coronary artery obstructive disease by the inhibition of the proliferation of smooth muscle cells in the coronary artery. (2) Through anti-apoptotic and anti-inflammatory properties, CO could diminish the loss of myocyte following acute coronary syndrome. (3) The vasodilatory effects of CO can prevent the vicious cycle of heart failure by inhibiting vasoconstriction as a result of the activated renin/angiotensin system and the sympathetic nervous system to compensate for low cardiac output and systemic hypo-perfusion in heart failure. The upward pointing arrow and the downward pointing arrow mean activation and inhibition for each pathway, respectively.