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Nitric oxide in transplantation-related thrombotic microangiopathy

Bone Marrow Transplantation volume 43, pages 513–514 (2009)Cite this article

I read with interest the review of transplantation-associated thrombotic microangiopathy (TA-TMA) by Batts and Lazarus in the Bone Marrow Transplantation journal (October 2007; 40: 709–719). There are several important considerations in this article that point to the important role of nitric oxide (NO), the endothelial-derived relaxation factor, as a possible contributor to this devastating condition.

The lack of NO has been recently suggested as an important causative factor in the thrombogenesis of hemolytic diseases including TMA.1 The excess hemolysis depletes NO due to the high affinity of plasma hemoglobin to the endothelial-derived NO. This deficiency of NO, a compound with potent vasodilatory and platelet anti-aggregatory properties, can lead to platelet microthrombi in various organs, including kidneys, central nervous system and heart vessels, leading to the clinical syndrome of TMA.

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  1. Department of Haematology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK

    J Thachil

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Thachil, J. Nitric oxide in transplantation-related thrombotic microangiopathy. Bone Marrow Transplant 43, 513–514 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/bmt.2008.350

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