Effect of ecNOS polymorphisms and coronary artery disease upon exhaled nitric oxide

Exhaled nitric oxide (eNO) is thought to arise principally from the airway epithelium. NO regulates smooth muscle tone, and abnormal activity of NO synthase has been implicated in coronary artery disease (CAD). Polymorphisms of endothelial constitutive NO synthase (ecNOS) may affect NO generation and be associated with CAD. It was hypothesised that a polymorphism, such as the ecNOS intron 4 polymorphism (ecNOS4a), affects the levels of eNO via airway epithelial NOS. eNO levels were measured in 53 patients with ischaemic chest pain who had previously been genotyped for ecNOS polymorphisms, with sample enrichment for the ecNOS4a allele. Subjects were also assessed for two other ecNOS polymorphisms (T-786C substitution in the promoter region, and G5557T in exon 7), variably associated with vascular disease. Those homozygous for the 'a' allele (ecNOS4a/a) had a lower mean eNO (9.0 ppb) than those who were heterozygous (ecNOS4a/b, 13.6 ppb), who in turn had a lower level than those homozygous for the wild-type ecNOS4b/b (16.1 ppb). No association of eNO levels was found with the other polymorphisms. Levels of eNO remained significantly lower in the ecNOSa/a subjects than in the ecNOSa/b and ecNOSb/b subjects, even when controlled for angiographic CAD, and smoking habit. In addition, all subjects with CAD had a significantly lower mean eNO (12.1 ppb) than subjects without angiographic CAD (19.9 ppb). In this selected population low levels of eNO were thus associated with presence of the ecNOS4a allele and also with CAD.