Vitamin C and NO

Vitamin C stimulating the production of NO is interesting:

"The NO theory of aging suggests that repeated infections create progressive oxidative damage leading to coronary disease and neurodegenerative conditions (1,2). The principal mechanism tested is when bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPS) injected, NO Synthetase is induced (via an IL-1) mediator within 2-4 hours (2). The blood brain barrier does not appear to keep LPS out of the central nervous system (3), and an intense NO response is seen in the brain (1,2). The effect of NO is to inactivate enzymes which leads to cell death of invading virus as well as host cells (1). Antioxidant vitamin C and E appear to be beneficial in attenuating the NO oxidant effect (1,2). "

So interesting that vitamin C may regulate NO function in that it stimulates NO production but also attenuates NO effect. 

Sources:

1/ McCann S et al. The nitric oxide theory of aging revisited. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2005 Dec;1057:64-84.

2/McCann S et al. The nitric oxide hypothesis of aging. Exp Gerontol. 1998 Nov-Dec;33(7-8):813-26.

3/Wei-Ye L et al. Increasing the Permeability of the Blood–brain Barrier in Three Different Models in vivo. CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics. 21 (2015) 568-574.