User:Nitricoxidetest/sandbox

Nitric Oxide Test Strips measures the amount of a metabolite for Nitric Oxide in saliva. The metabolite, nitrite, is a well-accepted biomarker for Nitric Oxide and relatively stable molecule that is both a precursor (or source for) as well as a by-product of Nitric Oxide produced in the body. Nitric Oxide is a critically important molecule made in the body that maintains cardiovascular function.

Characteristics of the strip
A standard Nitric Oxide Test Strips or Saliva Nitric Oxide Test Strips are hand held strips that contain a dry chemical pad which react (change color) when in contact with saliva. The test is often read in as little as 45 seconds after moistening the pad with saliva.

The chemical detection pads turns from a white to a deep pink based on the amount of the surrogate biomarker for Nitric Oxide. If the pad remains white, levels are low; however, if the pad shows a deep pink, there is an excess.

The dry chemistry for the colorimetric reaction is based on the Griess test.

Advancements in Nitric Oxide Test strip technology provides both a collection pad and test pad. On one end of the strip is the saliva absorption pad. This end of the strip is placed on the tongue for 3-5 seconds to collect saliva. The strip is then folded to allow the absorption pad to makes contact with the chemical pad thereby allowing transfer of saliva. If nitrite is present in the saliva, the chemical pad displays a color change for a semi-quantitative assessment of whole body Nitric Oxide production. 

Importance of saliva Nitric Oxide status
Elevated levels correlates with plasma levels which track changes in whole blood status of Nitric Oxide production. Increases in plasma levels is associated with lower blood pressure among pre-hypertensive that consume leafy greens and beets rich in inorganic nitrate and increases athletic performance, as measured by time to exhaustion and lower oxygen demand, after drinking beet root juice with 100-300 mg nitrate.

Sources of saliva nitrite
Nitric Oxide is produced in the body by multiple pathways. Typically, it is produced by a family enzymes, Nitric Oxide Synthase, which uses the semi-essential amino acid, L-arginine., resulting in the production of Nitric Oxide, which is rapidly oxidized to form nitrite and nitrate. Another pathway is through diet of nitrate rich vegetables, such as spinach, arugula, beets, among others, which is reduced in a series of steps, referred to as the nitrate-nitrite-nitric oxide cycle.

In brief, this cycle begins with the consumption of nitrate-rich vegetables, in which nitrate is absorbed into the blood after the vegetables are digested in the stomach. Nitrate circulates back to the mouth where it is concentrated in the saliva gland. Here, nitrate is secreted into the mouth and converted by the ‘friendly bacteria’ on the back of the tongue to nitrite. Nitrite is saliva is swallowed which is converted to nitric oxide in a number of way, i.e., acidic gastric juices reduces nitrite to nitric oxide or nitrite which is absorbed into the bloods stream is converted to nitric oxide by XOR by the red bloods. In the later case, prehypertensives show preferential activity in converting nitrite to Nitric Oxide via XOR.