An Open-Label Study of Oral Nitrite and Nitrate in Healthy Normal Volunteer Adults

Preclinical and clinical research over the last decade has revealed the important vasoprotective effects of nitrates and nitrites with regards to reduction in blood pressure, vascular inflammation and endothelial dysfunction. New findings suggest an effect of nitrate and nitrite therapy in the regulation of glucose-insulin homeostasis. Development of an oral formulation of nitrate and nitrite salts is attractive, whereby nitrite would ensure rapid acting effects upon absorption, while the nitrate would continuously provide a slow formation of nitrite over a prolonged period of time via the enterosalivary circulation pathway. For this reason, development of an oral formulation of nitrate and nitrite salts is attractive, whereby nitrite would ensure rapid acting effects upon absorption, while the nitrate would continuously provide a slow formation of nitrite over a prolonged period of time via the enterosalivary circulation pathway. This study aims to establish the pharmacokinetics, metabolism and interconversion of nitrate to nitrite and nitrite to nitric oxide in vivo in healthy adult normal volunteers.