Nitric oxide, cell death, and heart failure

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Updated: Sep 28, 2026

Chemiluminescence-based Assays for Detection of Nitric Oxide and its Derivatives from Autoxidation and Nitrosated Compounds
08:23

Chemiluminescence-based Assays for Detection of Nitric Oxide and its Derivatives from Autoxidation and Nitrosated Compounds

Published on: February 16, 2022

Jun-ichi Oyama1, Stefan Frantz, Charles Blais

  • 1Cardiovascular Division, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.

Heart Failure Reviews
|October 16, 2002
PubMed

Insights

Nitric oxide (NO) plays a complex role in heart failure, influencing both cardiac function and cell death. Its precise contribution to cardiomyocyte loss in heart disease requires further investigation.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Science
  • Cell Biology
  • Pathology

Background:

  • Cardiomyocyte loss is a key factor in heart failure development.
  • Both necrosis and apoptosis contribute to progressive cardiomyocyte dropout.
  • Nitric oxide (NO) is implicated in cardiac function and cell death pathways.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the literature on the role of nitric oxide (NO) in cardiomyocyte death.
  • To elucidate the complex actions of NO on apoptotic cell death in heart disease.
  • To define the practical contribution of NO to cell death in the context of heart disease.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of studies investigating nitric oxide (NO) and cardiomyocyte death.
  • Analysis of research on NO production by cardiac cells and infiltrating immune cells.
  • Examination of NO's influence on both apoptotic and necrotic cell death mechanisms.

Main Results:

  • Nitric oxide (NO) influences cardiac function and cell death.
  • NO is produced by stressed cardiac cells and activated immune cells.
  • The specific role of NO in apoptotic cell death within heart disease is complex and not fully defined.

Conclusions:

  • Cardiomyocyte loss is linked to heart failure pathology.
  • Nitric oxide's (NO) effects on apoptosis in heart disease are intricate.
  • The precise impact of NO on heart disease-related cell death remains to be determined.

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