Cells in the body make nitric oxide, which, paradoxically, is also an air pollutant in auto exhaust. It is different from nitrous oxide, better known as laughing gas. The researchers discovered that the body's own nitric oxide acts as a signal, telling blood vessels to dilate. That, in turn, lowers blood pressure. The work already has inspired a treatment for dangerously high blood pressure in the lungs of infants.
Babies breathe the gas.
The future of pharmacology is in the creation of a superaspirin that will be fundamental in the prevention of heart attacks, of cardiovascular disease, of arteriosclerosis. Scientists were surprised when Furchgott and Ignarro reported the findings in 1986. Nitric oxide was the first gas to be identified as a signal in the body. The gas makes blood vessels dilate by relaxing the vessels' smooth muscles. It can help trigger erection of the penis the same way, because the relaxation lets blood flow in.