Nitric oxide moves myoglobin centre stage
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Updated: Feb 10, 2026

Chemiluminescence-based Assays for Detection of Nitric Oxide and its Derivatives from Autoxidation and Nitrosated Compounds
Published on: February 16, 2022
Abstract:
It has been proposed that myoglobin (Mb), besides being an oxygen carrier, plays the role of a nitric oxide (NO) scavenger in heart and skeletal muscle. A paper reporting data obtained using perfused hearts isolated from either wild-type or Mb-knockout mice provides the first experimental evidence for this novel function of Mb. The biochemical basis underlying the effects of NO on cardiac function is outlined in this article, beginning with the idea that this gas is an inhibitor of cytochrome-c oxidase. Some of the consequences of this new role of Mb and a molecular mechanism to account for the high reactivity of oxymyoglobin with NO are also briefly discussed.
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