LAUSR

We thank Kazushi Tsuda for his thoughtful comments on our article on oxidative stress biomarkers of brain damage.1 We absolutely agree with Tsuda that oxidative stress triggers biochemical cascades and signaling pathways that can negatively impact infarct progression in patients with ischemic stroke also through direct effects on the endothelial cells. In fact, oxidative stress represents a major cause of endothelial dysfunction in cerebral vessels, as suggested by several evidence, and this can be considered a common characteristic of neurovascular diseases.2 Endothelial dysfunction can result from the reduced bioavailability of nitric oxide (NO) and increased oxidant excess. NO, produced from eNOS (endothelial NO synthase), 1 of the 3 isoforms of NOS present in the nervous system, diffuses to the underlying smooth muscle, stimulates soluble guanylate cyclase with subsequent increase of …