Nitric oxide and dental pulp

Young-Kyung Kim; Sung-Kyo Kim

doi:10.5395/JKACD.2002.27.5.543

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Kim and Kim: Nitric oxide and dental pulp

Original Article

Journal of Korean Academy of Conservative Dentistry

Journal of Korean Academy of Conservative Dentistry 2002; 27(5): 543-551.

Published online: 30 September 2002

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5395/JKACD.2002.27.5.543

Nitric oxide and dental pulp

Young-Kyung Kim, Sung-Kyo Kim

Department of Conservative Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Kyungpook National University, Korea.

(open-access):

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Nitric oxide (NO) is a small molecule (mol. wt. 30 Da) and oxidative free radical. It is uncharged and can therefore diffuse freely within and between cells across membrane. Such characteristics make it a biologically important messenger in physiologic processes such as neurotransmission and the control of vascular tone. NO is also highly toxic and is known to acts as a mediator of cytotoxicity during host defense.

NO is synthesized by nitric oxide synthase (NOS) through L-arginine/nitric oxide pathway which is a dioxygenation process. NO synthesis involves several participants, three co-substrates, five electrons, five co-factors and two prosthetic groups.

Under normal condition, low levels of NO are synthesized by type I and III NOS for a short period of time and mediates many physiologic processes. Under condition of oxidant stress, high levels of NO are synthesized by type II NOS and inhibits a variety of metabolic processes and can also cause direct damage to DNA. Such interaction result in cytostasis, energy depletion and ultimately cell death. NO has the potential to interact with a variety of intercellular targets producing diverse array of metabolic effects.

It is known that NO is involved in hemodynamic regulation, neurogenic inflammation, re-innervation, management of dentin hypersensitivity on teeth. Under basal condition of pulpal blood flow, NO provides constant vasodilator tone acting against sympathetic vasoconstriction. Substance P, a well known vasodilator, was reported to be mediated partly by NO, while calcitonin-gene related peptide has provided no evidence of its relation with NO.

This review describes the roles of NO in dental pulp in addition to the known general roles of it.

Keywords: nitric oxide, hemodynamic regulation, constant vasodilator tone, dental pulp

Figures and Tables

Fig. 1

Schematic representation of the biosynthesis of NO from L-Arginine by the NO synthase system.

Fig. 2

Synthesis of NO by three isoforms of NOS. (Adapted from Knowles and Moncada, Biochem. J., 1994, 298:249-258.)

Fig. 3

Amino acid arrangement of type I, II, III NOS and CPR. (Adapted from Dawson and Snyder, Journal of Neuroscience, 1994, 14:5147-59)

Fig. 4

Structural formula of L-arginine and analogue that inhibit NO formation.

Fig. 5

Roles of NO: physiological messengers and cytotoxic agent.

Fig. 6

Diagram illustrating proposed intracellular mechanism for SP in the vascular relaxation.

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