Nitric oxide production and endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation ameliorated by N1-methylnicotinamide in human blood vessels.

N 1 -methylnicotinamide (MNA + ) has until recently been thought to be a biologically inactive product of nicotinamide metabolism in the pyridine nucleotides pathway. However, the latest observations imply that MNA + may exert antithrombotic and anti-inflammatory effects through direct action on the endothelium. We examined both in vivo and in vitro whether the compound might induce vasorelaxation in human blood vessels through the improvement of nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability and a reduction of oxidative stress mediated by endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) function. MNA + treatment (100 mg/m 2 orally) in healthy normocholesterolemic and hypercholesterolemic subjects increased the l-argini…