Nitroglycerin as a Heart Medication

 

    Nitroglycerin was discovered in 1847 by Ascanio Sobrero. Each molecule is composed of three nitrate groups bound to a chain of carbons, and the nitrate groups are powerful oxidizing agents that contribute to the compound's explosive properties. In 1864, Alfred Nobel discovered a process for making nitroglycerin more stable so that an explosion could be set off with a detonator. This creation was called dynamite. Despite its role as a deadly explosive, nitroglycerin also had important medical properties. Workers in dynamite factories noted that nitroglycerin eased chest pain. Scientists during the time were using amyl nitrite to dilate blood vessels and lower blood pressure, which increased the flow of oxygen and blood to the heart. By the 1880s, doctors realized that nitroglycerin was even more effective than amyl nitrite for treating chest pain. Scientists finally discovered in the 20th century the mechanism by which nitroglycerin relieves chest pain. The body converts nitroglycerin to nitric oxide which relaxes blood vessels and lowers blood pressure. We can examine how the velocity of blood changes as the diameter of blood vessels increases using the equation A1V1=A2V2. . When the diameter of the blood vessels increases, the area increases which increases the velocity. Bernoulli's equation shown below can be used to calculate the change in blood pressure.

Using the blood density and the two velocities of the blood from the previous equation, the change in blood pressure after blood vessel relaxation can be calculated to be a negative number, indicating that the blood pressure decreases. Nitroglycerin thus serves to relieve chest pain by relaxing blood vessels, which lowers blood pressure and increases oxygen and blood flow to the heart. Thus the heart does not have to work as hard to pump blood through the body. 

Sources

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