Publications

We invite researchers in the area of nitric oxide (NO) to submit by October 31, 2019 a review or research manuscript to be considered for publication in the “Nitric Oxide in Cancer and Beyond Special Issue” of Biochemical Pharmacology. 
A major challenge to developing novel anticancer therapies is generating compounds with enhanced efficacy, fewer side effects, and possible synergies with currently prescribed antitumor agents. Intrinsic and acquired resistance is a major barrier in chemotherapy, often resulting in poor outcomes. As a gasotransmitter of physiological relevance, NO may yet offer a key role in overcoming the challenges in cancer treatment, despite its dichotomous role in cancer biology.  Looking beyond cancer, this special issue will also consider manuscripts describing novel NO mechanisms that hold promise for treating other maladies.
This call invites state-of-the-art reviews and research articles to help advance the understanding of how NO exerts pharmacological effects, which may lead to therapies for cancer and other diseases.

Nitric oxide (NO), a gaseous free radical, is one of the ten smallest molecules found in nature. Although toxic, it is recognized to be a gasotransmitter that plays multiple roles in normal physiology. NO regulates vascular relaxation, controls inflammation, and suppresses expression of pro-inflammatory mediators in mast cells, macrophages, and vascular smooth muscles. NO regulates blood flow and modulates platelet and leukocyte activation, adhesion, and aggregation. The role of NO in cancer biology has been quite perplexing, as both tumor promotion and inflammatory activities as well as anti-tumor and anti-inflammatory properties have been described. This paradox has been explained in terms of a dual or biphasic effect that is dependent on the local flux. In 1992, the journal Science referred to NO as the “Molecule of the Year”. The important role that NO plays in human biology was recognized in 1998 when the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine was awarded to Robert F. Furchgott, Louis J. Ignarro, and Ferid Murad for establishing NO as a messenger molecule.
This Special Issue invites state-of-the-art reviews, commentaries, and original research articles to help advance our understanding of the role that NO plays in physiology and pharmacology, which may lead to applications against various diseases.
Website:
https://www.mdpi.com/journal/ijms/special_issues/NO_Pharmacology
Manuscript submissions: 31 December 2019