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Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Analytical Techniques for Assaying Nitric Oxide Bioactivity
Published on: June 18, 2012
Reference values for serum nitric oxide metabolites in an adult population
Asghar Ghasemi1, Saleh Zahediasl, Fereidoun Azizi
1Endocrine Physiology Laboratory, Endocrine Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, PO Box 19395-4763, Tehran, Iran.
Objectives:
To determine reference values for serum nitric oxide metabolites (nitrite+nitrate=NO(x)) concentrations in adult subjects.
Design And Methods:
Serum NO(x) concentration was measured, using the Griess method, in 694 non-smoking apparently healthy subjects, randomly selected from a population-based study. The International Federation of Clinical Chemistry guidelines and the robust method were used for determining reference values.
Results:
The 95% reference values for serum NO(x) concentration and serum NO(x)/creatinine ratio were 11.5 to 76.4 micromol/L and 0.111 to 0.729 in men and 10.1 to 65.6 micromol/L and 0.121 to 0.777 in women, respectively. With increasing body mass index, upper limits of serum NO(x) and the NO(x)/creatinine ratio increased in women and decreased in men. Serum NO(x) levels above upper limits predicted both diabetes and metabolic syndrome in women.
Conclusions:
This study reports the first set of reference values for serum NO(x) concentration and NO(x)/creatinine ratio in a relatively large healthy non-smoking population.
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