NO has many Clinical Applications

Today it is known that NO is also an important signalling molecule outside the cardiovascular system and has become a useful tool in the practice of medicine:

 Neurons in the brain

NO can enhance the olfactory sense No is released in increased quantities in inflammation, a fact that can be used for diagnostic purposes
 
NO is important for signalling between nerve cells in the brain

Macrophage
NO is involved in the normal defence against bacterial and parasitic infections
NO initiates erection of the penis by dilating blood vessels
NO can be inhaled to specifically treat high blood pressure in the lungs of newborns
  Photo by Tommie Lindberg


Alfred Nobel suffered from angina pectoris and was prescribed nitroglycerine. In a letter to a friend he wrote:

  “It sounds like the irony of fate that I have been prescribed nitroglycerine internally. They have named it Trinitrin in order not to upset pharmacists and the public.

Your affectionate friend,

A. Nobel”

To cite this section
MLA style: NO has many Clinical Applications. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach 2025. Tue. 17 Jun 2025. <https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/1998/7531-no-has-many-clinical-applications/>

Back to top Back To Top Takes users back to the top of the page

Nobel Prizes and laureates

Nobel Prizes 2024

Six prizes were awarded for achievements that have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind. The 12 laureates' work and discoveries range from proteins' structures and machine learning to fighting for a world free of nuclear weapons.

See them all presented here.

Illustration

Explore prizes and laureates

Look for popular awards and laureates in different fields, and discover the history of the Nobel Prize.