The pathway of anaerobic reduction of nitrite to nitrogen gas (N2) by cell suspensions of the denitrifier, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, was studied using the techniques of gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. While release of nitrous oxide (N2O) is not normally detected during the reduction of nitrite to N2 by this organism, 15N from [15N]nitrite nevertheless can be trapped quantitatively as 15...

BACKGROUND Inorganic nitrite dilates small resistance arterioles via hypoxia-facilitated reduction to vasodilating nitric oxide. The effects of nitrite in human conduit arteries have not been investigated. In contrast to nitrite, organic nitrates are established selective dilators of conduit arteries. METHODS AND RESULTS We examined the effects of local and systemic administration of sodium n...

RATIONALE Hypoxia is a significant perturbation that exacerbates endothelial barrier dysfunction, contributing to the disruption of vascular homeostasis and the development of various diseases such as atherosclerosis and metastasis of tumors. To date, it is not known what strategy might be used to counter the effect of hypoxia on endothelial permeability. OBJECTIVE This study investigated the...

Two polytopic membrane proteins, NarK and NarU, are involved in nitrate and nitrite uptake and nitrite extrusion by Escherichia coli. A third polytopic membrane protein, NirC, functions only in nitrite transport. During exponential growth, the quantity of NarU in membrane fractions was <0.01% of the quantity of NarK. During the stationary phase of growth, the ratio of NarU to NarK increased to ...

BACKGROUND AND AIM The ability of inorganic nitrate and nitrite to convert to nitric oxide (NO), and some of its properties e.g. regulation of glucose metabolism, vascular homeostasis, and insulin signaling pathway, have recently raised the hypothesis that inorganic nitrate and nitrite could be potential therapeutic agents in type 2 diabetes. In this review, we reviewed experimental and clinica...

The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence, patterns, and predictors of nitrite inhalant use in antisocial adolescents. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 723 Missouri youth (M age = 15.5, SD = 1.2) in residential care for antisocial behavior. The lifetime prevalence of nitrite inhalant use was 1.7% (1.3% for boys; 4.3% for girls, p = .06), a figure somewhat higher than co...

Recent evidence from humans and rats indicates that nitrite is a vasodilator under hypoxic conditions by reacting with metal-containing proteins to produce nitric oxide (NO). We tested the hypothesis that near-physiological concentrations of nitrite would produce vasodilation in a hypoxia- and concentration-dependent manner in the hind limb of sheep. Anesthetized sheep were instrumented to meas...

Cytoglobin (Cygb) is a recently discovered cytoplasmic heme-binding globin. Although multiple hemeproteins have been reported to function as nitrite reductases in mammalian cells, it is unknown whether Cygb can also reduce nitrite to nitric oxide (NO). The mechanism, magnitude, and quantitative importance of Cygb-mediated nitrite reduction in tissues have not been reported. To investigate this ...

The literature was reviewed to determine whether ingested nitrate or nitrite may be detrimental or beneficial to human health. Nitrate is ingested when vegetables are consumed. Nitrite, nitrate's metabolite, has a long history of use as a food additive, particularly in cured meat products. Nitrite has been a valuable antibotulinal agent in cured meats and may offer some protection from other pa...