No effect of carvedilol on nitric oxide generation in phagocytes but modulation of production of superoxide ions.

Since carvedilol has been claimed to possess antioxidative effects, this drug might affect functional responses, including nitric oxide (NO) generation, of polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) and macrophages. When we assessed the effects of carvedilol on PMN responses in vitro, we observed that carvedilol dose dependently modulated generation of superoxide ions by NADPH oxidase when induced by the formylpeptide formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP) or the phorbol ester phorbol myristate acetate. This effect was not coupled to diminished phospholipase C activity.