In this article we make a review above the way that nitric oxide (NO) influence platelets over the past 25 years. The role of NO in biology has evolved from being recognized as an environmental pollutant to an endogenously produced substance involved in intracellular and intercellular communication and signal transduction. NO is a multifunctional molecule that plays a role in the regulation of hemostasis. It is responsible for platelets inhibition in all levels of its action, from adhesion to aggregation, preventing in this manner, thrombus formation. Several clinical disorders have been reported in which endogenous NO production insufficiency and, as a consequence, the absence of platelets action inhibition, seems to contribute to thrombotic events.
Nitric oxide; Platelets; Thrombus
