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Nitric oxide and its effects on the calcium transport systems in the myocardium
1Institute of Molecular Physiology and Genetics, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia. umfgzahr@kramare.savba.sk
Abstract:
Nitric oxide (NO) is an important modulator of many physiological processes, including myocardial contractile function. The understanding of how the production of NO in the myocardium is regulated in response to physiological stimuli and pathological processes is evolving rapidly. The main goal of this minireview is to summarize the current knowledge (i) about the enzymes that produce NO in the heart muscle, (ii) about the targets of myocardial NO that modulate calcium transport systems of the heart muscle cells, and (iii) about the role that NO-induced changes of calcium homeostasis play in the modulation of myocardial contractility.