Nitric oxide and metals toxicity

Abstract

Numerous studies, focusing on the effects of environmental pollutants such as metals of industrial use, appear to affect intracellular homeostasis, particularly cadmium, arsenic mercury, nickel, chromium, manganese, copper, cobalt, vanadium, lead. These chemicals may specifically target different forms of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) mediated processes, e.g., in the immune system. The alteration of redox transient intracellular states by those metals, may represent an important common mechanism responsible for the abrogation of NOS activation or deactivation, provokes alteration in the nitric oxide levels and the cellular function mediated by it. While nitric oxide mediated biological interactions have been intensively studied, the underlying mechanisms of nitrosative stress with resulting pathology remain unclear. Peroxynitrite is a powerful oxidant formed from the reaction between nitric oxide and superoxide anion that could participate in the mechanism of toxicity of different metals.