BACKGROUND: The authors studied the nitrite plasma levels in a group of patients with peripheral obstructive arteriopathy. METHODS: The series consisted of 63 subjects (43 males, 20 females, mean age 64 +/- 9 years) suffering from peripheral arterial occlusive disease of the lower limbs, at II (55 cases) and III (8 cases) Fontaine stage; 21 subjects with total cholesterol (TC) lower than 200 mg/dl were considered as normolipemics, 24 subjects with TC values between 200 and 240 as mild hypercholesterolemics, 18 subjects with TC above 240 mg/dl as severe hypercholesterolemics. For each subject the determination of nitrite plasma levels was carried out, by the Gutman and Hollywood colorimetric method. RESULTS: In the normolipemic arteriopathics the basal value of nitrites was sharply reduced (p < 0.05) compared to the controls; in the mild hypercholesterolemics the mean basal value of nitrites was markedly higher compared to the controls; in the severe hypercholesterolemics the mean basal value of nitrites was statistically (p < 0.05) higher than that of the controls. In the arteriopathic patients, globally considered, the mean basal value of nitrites was superimposable on that of the normal control subjects. CONCLUSIONS: This study, carried out on the nitrite plasma levels in a group of arteriopathic patients allowed us to show the enhanced levels of nitric oxide due to the increase of LDL; this effect, previously observed in hypercholesterolemic diabetic and coronaropathic patients, leads us to the hypothesis of a stimulating effect of LDL upon NO endothelial synthesis; this would be a compensatory response to the damaging and vasoconstricting action of LDL.
BACKGROUND: The authors studied the nitrite plasma levels in a group of patients with peripheral obstructive arteriopathy. METHODS: The series consisted of 63 subjects (43 males, 20 females, mean age 64 +/- 9 years) suffering from peripheral arterial occlusive disease of the lower limbs, at II (55 cases) and III (8 cases) Fontaine stage; 21 subjects with total cholesterol (TC) lower than 200 mg/dl were considered as normolipemics, 24 subjects with TC values between 200 and 240 as mild hypercholesterolemics, 18 subjects with TC above 240 mg/dl as severe hypercholesterolemics. For each subject the determination of nitrite plasma levels was carried out, by the Gutman and Hollywood colorimetric method. RESULTS: In the normolipemic arteriopathics the basal value of nitrites was sharply reduced (p < 0.05) compared to the controls; in the mild hypercholesterolemics the mean basal value of nitrites was markedly higher compared to the controls; in the severe hypercholesterolemics the mean basal value of nitrites was statistically (p < 0.05) higher than that of the controls. In the arteriopathicpatients, globally considered, the mean basal value of nitrites was superimposable on that of the normal control subjects. CONCLUSIONS: This study, carried out on the nitrite plasma levels in a group of arteriopathicpatients allowed us to show the enhanced levels of nitric oxide due to the increase of LDL; this effect, previously observed in hypercholesterolemic diabetic and coronaropathicpatients, leads us to the hypothesis of a stimulating effect of LDL upon NO endothelial synthesis; this would be a compensatory response to the damaging and vasoconstricting action of LDL.