The biochemistry and physiology of S-nitrosothiols.
S-nitrosothiols are biological metabolites of nitric oxide. It has often been suggested that they represent a more stable metabolite of nitric oxide that can either be stored, or transported, although the evidence for this is sparse. There are many unanswered questions concerning how S-nitrosothiols are formed, how they are metabolized and how they elicit biological responses. These questions are highlighted by the fact that the known chemistry of nitric oxide, thiols, and S-nitrosothiols cannot serve to explain their proposed biological activities. This review attempts to highlight the gulf between our chemical understanding of S-nitrosothiols and the proposed biological activities of these compounds with respect to guanylyl cyclase-independent nitric oxide bioactivity and also the control of vascular tone.
Hogg
Neil
N
Biophysics Research Institute, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53226, USA. nhogg@mcw.edu
D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000502:physiology; D020030:Nitric Oxide Donors / Q000378:metabolism*; D026422:S-Nitrosoglutathione / Q000378:metabolism; D026403:S-Nitrosothiols / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction
D020030:Nitric Oxide Donors; D026403:S-Nitrosothiols; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D026422:S-Nitrosoglutathione