Dr. Cheney, nitric oxide and mitochondria

[Guest guest]

Hi, all.

Those who've read Carol Sieverling's report on Dr. Cheney's recent

comments about cardiomyopathy in CFS may recall that he said that

nitric oxide is not found in the mitochondria of cells.

This is actually not true. In 1995 it was reported that there is a

nitric oxide synthase (NOS) enzyme inside mitochondria, which makes

nitric oxide. Since then, this has received considerable study and

has been verified by several groups. It is now thought that this

mitochondrial nitric oxide actually regulates the activity of the

enzyme cytochrome oxidase, which is the enzyme that uses oxygen to

receive electrons from the respiratory chain. Mitochondrial nitric

oxide thus serves a very important purpose.

As you may recall, Dr. Cheney used this as the basis for his

argument that the production of peroxynitrite from the reaction of

superoxide with nitric oxide is controlled by the amount of

superoxide that leaks out of the mitochondria. This was

contradictory to Prof. Marty Pall's theory.

I continue to believe that superoxide does control the production of

peroxynitrite in CFS, in disagreement with Prof. Pall, but Dr.

Cheney's argument is not valid for supporting that belief. I am

arguing it on the basis that glutathione depletion occurs earlier in

the pathogenesis, and that the depletion of glutathione causes a

rise in hydrogen peroxide, which exerts product inhibition on the

superoxide dismutase reaction, thus causing a rise in superoxide.

Rich