Endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF) was the tentative name of what was later discovered to be nitric oxide (NO). It is released by the vascular endothelium in response to a variety of chemical and physical stimuli. It causes the smooth muscle in the vessel wall to relax, resulting in vasodilation.
EDRF was discovered and characterized by Robert F. Furchgott, a winner of the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1998 with his co-researchers Louis J. Ignarro and Ferid Murad.
Please refer to nitric oxide for a full treatment of the biological functions of NO.
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