Target Areas for Reactive Species

Nitric oxide reacts with superoxide at a rate of 6.7 X 10 M sec (Huie and Padmaja, 1993) and is typically produced around 1 X 10 M for cell signaling (Shibuki, 1990 Shibuki and Okada, 1991). Thus, the nitric oxide target area is normally 6.7 X 10 sec, or 30-fold lower than that for SOD. However, under pathological conditions such as ischemia/reperfusion. 

Reactions of Nitric Oxide and Rationale for Product Analysis in Vivo  

Measurement of the end products of nitric oxide decomposition involves the combined problems of determining (1) what the likely products are, (2) whether products are stable enough in biological systems to survive separation and analysis, and (3) developing and optimizing specific methods 

Conditions which favor peroxynitrite formation could result in dramatic shifts in the nitrite/nitrate ratio as well as significant loss of total nitrogen oxides through tyrosine nitration. 

Depending on the relative areas for the various primary targets of nitric oxide, some fraction of the total nitric oxide produced in vivo will eventually react with molecular oxygen to give -N02. 

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