BOSTON, Mar 5, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- A Boston University School of Medicine
study suggests short bursts of nitrites can be beneficial in protecting the
heart from stress.
The study, researchers said, demonstrated for the first time that short
elevations in circulating levels of nitrites are sufficient to have a lasting
impact on the heart by modulating its oxidation status and its protein
machinery.
Nitrite is an oxidation product of the short-lived cell signaling molecule
nitric oxide and, until recently, was thought to be biologically inert at the
relatively low levels found in the body.
The suspicion that high levels of nitrite and nitrate may cause cancer, as well
as concerns about their risk to compromise the ability of red blood cells to
deliver oxygen to tissues, have led to strict regulations aimed at limiting
exposure to the substances through drinking water and food products, the
researchers said.
"What we found was that a single brief nitrite treatment elicited persisting
changes in the heart's oxidation status together with lasting alterations to
numerous proteins involved in the heart's energy metabolism, redox regulation,
and signaling," said David Perlman, a post-doctoral research associate and lead
author of the study.
The findings are detailed in the journal Circulation Research.
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