Nitric oxide:a newly discovered function on wound healing

Wound healing impairment represents a particularly challenging clinical problemto which no efficacious treatment regimens currently exist.The factors ensuringappropriate intercellular communication during wound repair are not completelyunderstood.Although protein-type mediators are well-established players in thisprocess,emerging evidence from both animal and human studies indicates thatnitric oxide (NO) plays a key role in wound repair.The beneficial effects of NO onwound repair may be attributed to its functional influences on angiogenesis,inflammation,cell proliferation,matrix deposition,and remodeling.Recent find-ings from in vitro and in vivo studies of NO on wound repair are summarized inthis review.The unveiled novel mechanisms support the use of NO-containingagents and/or NO synthase gene therapy as new therapeutic regimens for im-paired wound healing.