This was pulled from a Townsendletter circa 2006.
Biochemistry of Lyme Disease (Feb/March 2006)
Nitrous Oxide (NO), A Potential Lyme Therapeutic Agent
Nitrous oxide (chemical formula NO) is a gas, at one time commonly used as an anesthetic (laughing gas). In more recent times, the biochemical activity of NO has been related to the relaxation of the small muscle fibers in the walls of blood vessels. They serve to either relax or constrict the flow of blood passing through those vessels. The mechanism of NO bioactivity has also been learned; this involves the substance c-GMP (cyclic guanosine monophosphate). The amount of c-GMP at any time is regulated by the enzyme, phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE-5), having the capacity to destroy it. c- GMP fits into a cavity on the surface of PDE-5, the "active site" of this enzyme. Any other substance capable of being bound by the active site of PDE-5 inhibits the activity of the enzyme by blocking the entry of c-GMP, thus allowing a greater survival of c-GMP. To summarize, any inhibitor of PDE-5 allows an increase in the amount of available c-GMP and consequent relaxation of blood vessels, permitting a greater flow of blood through those vessels.10
It has been demonstrated that NO is toxic to Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative organism of Lyme disease.11 Therefore, any inhibitor of PDE-5 is a potential therapeutic agent for Lyme disease. Inhibitors of PDE-5 in common use today are the drugs sildenafil (more commonly known as Viagra), Levitra, and Cialis. Whether these drugs act therapeutically against the Lyme spirochete has not been demonstrated clinically and remains unknown. (See Chart 8.)
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All for now
Morgan