Electrochemical Generation of Nitric Oxide for Medical Applications

Over the past 30 years, the significance of nitric oxide (NO) has become increasingly apparent in mammalian physiology. It is biosynthesized by three isoforms of nitric oxide synthases (NOS): neuronal (nNOS), endothelial (eNOS), and inducible (iNOS). Neuronal and eNOS both produce low levels of NO (nM) as a signaling agent and vasodilator, respectively. Inducible (iNOS) is present in activated macrophages at sites of infection to generate acutely toxic (μM) levels of NO as part of the mammalian immune defense mechanism. These discoveries have led to numerous animal and clinical studies to evaluate the potential therapeutic utility of NO in various medical operations/treatments, primarily using NO gas (via gas-cylinders) as the NO source. In this review, we focus specifically on recent advances in the electrochemical generation of NO (E-NOgen) as an alternative means to generate NO from cheap and inert sources, and the fabrication and testing of biomedical devices that utilize E-NOgen to controllably generate NO for medical applications.