Plasma nitrite reserve and endothelial function in the human forearm circulation

Attenuation of endothelium-derived nitric oxide (NO) synthesis is a hallmark of endothelial dysfunction. Early detection of this disorder may have therapeutic and prognostic implications. Plasma nitrite mirrors acute and chronic changes in endothelial NO-synthase activity. We hypothesized that local plasma nitrite concentration increases during reactive hyperemia of the forearm, reflecting endothelial function. In healthy subjects (n = 11) plasma nitrite and nitrate were determined at baseline and during reactive hyperemia of the forearm using reductive gas-phase chemiluminescence and flow-injection analysis, respectively. Endothelium-dependent dilation of the brachial artery was measured as flow-mediated dilation (FMD) using high-resolution ultrasound. Results were compared to patients with endothelial dysfunction as defined by reduced FMD (n = 11). Reactive hyperemia of the forearm increased local plasma nitrite concentration from 68 ± 5 to 126 ± 13 nmol/L (p < 0.01), whereas in endothelial dysfunction nitrite remained unaffected (116 ± 12 to 104 ± 10 nmol/L; n.s.), corresponding to nitrite reserves of 94 ± 21 and −8 ± 4%. This was accompanied by a significantly greater increase in brachial artery diameter (FMD: 8.5 ± 0.4% vs 2.9 ± 0.5%, for healthy subjects and endothelial dysfunction, respectively; p < 0.001). This observation suggests that nitrite changes reflect endothelial function. Assessment of local plasma nitrite during reactive hyperemia may open new avenues in the diagnosis of vascular function.