Thanks for the info. If biotin can reduce NO, then it is becoming more and more interesting for a number of conditions. Btw, on one of my threads on biotin I posted a study showing that uniquely among all the vitamins known in clinical practice, biotin leads to elevated levels of ATP and CO2 as a result of dramatically improved glucose metabolism. Here is the thread.
viewtopic.php?f=10&t=5862
The study used 100 microMol biotin and was done in vitro. I can't seem to find any reliable data on humans that shows how much biotin needs to be ingested to get this concentration. However, the same group that published the study on biotin causing elevation in ATP and CO2 published several other studies in rats showing prevention of diabetes and reversal of glucose metabolism issues with human equivalent doses of 10mg-20mg per day for 4-8 weeks.
Even more interestingly, Peat once wrote that both Hans Selye and Albert Szent-Györgyi thought that cancer is essentially caused by persistent biotin deficiency. I can't find the direct quote but here is another article by Peat hinting at biotin being helpful:
viewtopic.php?t=1268
"...Heart failure, shock, and other problems involving excess lactic acid can be treated "successfully" by poisoning glycolysis with dichloroacetic acid, reducing the production of lactic acid, increasing the oxidation of glucose, and increasing cellular ATP concentration. Thyroid, vitamin B1, biotin, etc., do the same."
I have no idea why Peat did not include cancer in the above list of condtions treatable by "poisoning" glycolysis, especially given that he mentions using DCA?!?! But we can make the connection.
What is known now is that biotin deficiency does result in highly upregulated aerobic glycolysis and inhibition of oxidative phosphorylation, manifested in high lactate and low CO2. So, essentially the Warburg Effect.
In summary, biotin supplementation leads to:
increased ATP
increased CO2
decreased lactate in serum, brain, liver and muscle
restored insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance
direct prevention of developing diabetes (I don't know of another vitamin that has this effect)
decreased NO
decreased ammonia
decreased glutamate
decreased fatty acid synthase (an effect proposed by Peat to be a major factor behind aspirin preventing cancer)
The list probably goes on and on but even in its current form it is quite impressive. Maybe thiamine + biotin would be ultimately Peat supplement, assuming all problems stem from low CO2 and increased fatty acid oxidation...
Those bolded bullets are probably why biotin is good for hair.