Robert D. Furchgott’s Contribution to the Discovery of Nitric Oxide as

Introduction In 1998 the Nobel Prize in physiology was awarded to three scientists for their contribution to the discovery of nitric oxide (NO) as a physiological singling molecule, particularly in vascular smooth muscle: Dr. Robert F. Furchgott, Dr. Louis J. Ignarro, and Dr. Ferid Murad1,2. Although the Prize was only initially awarded to Furchgott and Murad, it was later admitted that without the work of Ignarro an important link would not have been made. More specifically, in 1977 Murad found that nitric oxide was the active molecule causing vasodilation when studying the effects of vasodilatory effects nitroglycerine1,2. In 1980 when studying the effects of vasodilatory effects or acetylcholine in rabbit aorta, Furchgott found that vascular endothelial cells are necessary for vascular smooth muscle relaxation3. He concluded that endothelial cells produce what he called endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF), a signaling molecule that caused vascular smooth muscle to relax1,3. Lastly, in 1986 Ignarro, showing that vascular endothelial cells produced similar responses when stimulated to produce EDRF and when exposed to NO, determined that nitric oxide and EDRF were the same molecule, thereby uniting the work of Murad and Furchgott into a cohesive vasodilatory model1,2. Nitric Oxide and Vascular Relaxation Nitric oxide is an abundant and diverse secondary signaling molecule throughout the body, playing roles in memory, learning, inflammation, and blood pressure. It is synthesized by nitric oxide synthase (NOS) from L-arginine and oxygen, though there are three known types of NOS: NOS 1, NOS 2 and NOS 34. NOS 1 and 3 are stimulated by high intracellular calcium ion concentrations, as caused by vasodilators l... ...el Prize Awarded to Scientists for Nitric Oxide Discoveries. Circulation 98, 2365-2366 2. Raju T. (2000). The Nobel Chronicles. The Lancet, 356, 346 3. Furchgott R. F. (2003). Nobel Lecture. Nobel Lectures, Physiology or Medicine 1996-2000. 4. Barrett K. E., Barman S. M., Boitano S., Brooks H. L. Ganong’s Review of Medical Physiology (2012). Ganong’s Review of Medical Physiology. McGraw-Hill 5. Nobel Prize.org (2014, February 25). Robert F. Furchgott - Biographical. Retrieved from http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1998/furchgott-bio.html 6. Furchgott R. F., Zawadzki J. V. (1980). The obligatory role of endothelial cells in the relaxation of arterial smooth muscle by acetylcholine. Nature, 288, 337-376 7. Martin W. (2009). Robert F. Furchgott, Nodel laureate (1916-2009) - a personal reflection. British Journal of Pharmacology. 158(3), 633-637