Nitric oxide in neurodegeneration: potential benefits of non-steroidal anti-inflammatories

The cellular messenger nitric oxide has been linked to neurodegenerative disorders due to the increased expression of the enzymes that synthesise it in post mortem tissue obtained from sufferers of these diseases. Nitrated proteins have also been detected in these samples revealing that nitric oxide is biologically active in regions damaged during neurodegeneration. Modulation of nitric oxide levels has been observed not only in the neurons of the central nervous system, but also in the glial cells (microglia and astroglia) that are activated during the neuroinflammatory response. It has been widely reported that neuroinflammation is observed in a number of neurodegenerative conditions, with studies suggesting that inhibition of these neuroinflammatory signals could belay the progress of such disorders. Thus nitric oxide and the pathways that trigger its release are emerging as an important research focus in the search for strategies to prevent, halt or cure neurodegenerative diseases