Table 1.
Nitrogen Species That Occur from the Oxidation or Reduction of NO
| Molecular species | Common abbreviation | Description | Established targets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nitric oxide | NO | Fee radical, uncharged, product of NO synthase reaction | sGC, COX, non-heme iron, thiyl radicals |
| Nitroxyl | HNO or NO− | Reduced state of NO, product of Angeli's salt, electrophile | Transition metals, nucleophiles |
| Nitrosonium ion | NO+ | Oxidized state of NO, (unstable at neutral pH) | Thiolate anion |
| Nitrite | NO2− | Reaction product of NO with O2− (can be reduced to NO in the presence of iron) | Heme |
| Nitrate | NO3− | Oxidation product of NO | |
| Dinitrogen trioxide | N2O3 | Nitrosating agent (formed by reacting NO with O2−) | Thiols, amines |
| Nitrogen dioxide | NO2 | Strong oxidizing agent, free radical, nitrating agent | Thiols, phenolics (tyrosine) |
| Peroxynitrite | ONOO− | Formed by the reaction of NO with O2−, nitrating agent | Thiols, transition metals |
| Peroxynitrate | O2NOO− | Formed by the reaction of NO2 with O2− | |
| Nitrosoperoxocarbonate | ONOOCO2 | Reaction product of ONOO− with CO2 (short-lived) | Mostly tyrosine |
| Hydroxylamine | NH2OH | Product of nitroxyl reaction | |
| Ammonia | NH3 | Metabolic waste product |
For more information of potential target interactions, please see the text.
sGC, soluble guanylyl cyclase; COX, cytochrome-c oxidase.