Inducible nitric oxide synthase and inflammation.

Nitric oxide (NO), derived from L-arginine (L-Arg) by the enzyme nitric oxide synthase (NOS), is involved in acute and chronic inflammatory events. In view of the complexity associated with the inflammatory response, the dissection of possible mechanisms by which NO modulates this response will be profitable in designing novel and more efficacious NOS inhibitors. In this review we describe the consequences associated with the induction of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and its therapeutic implications.