Reactions of nitrite with hemoglobin measured by membrane inlet mass spectrometry

Membrane inlet mass spectrometry was used to observe nitric oxide in the well-studied reaction of nitrite with hemoglobin. The membrane inlet was submerged in the reaction solutions and measured NO in solution via its flux across a semipermeable membrane leading to the mass spectrometer detecting the mass-to-charge ratio m/z 30. This method measures NO directly in solution and is an alternate approach compared with methods that purge solutions to measure NO. Addition to deoxy-Hb(Fe(II)) (near 38 microM heme concentration) of nitrite in a range of 80 microM to 16 mM showed no accumulation of either NO or N(2)O(3) on a physiologically relevant time scale with a sensitivity near 1 nM. The addition of nitrite to oxy-Hb(Fe(II)) and met-Hb(Fe(III)) did not accumulate free NO to appreciable extents. These observations show that for several minutes after mixing nitrite with hemoglogin, free NO does not accumulate to levels exceeding the equilibrium level of NO. The presence of cyanide ions did not alter the appearance of the data; however, the presence of 2 mM mercuric ions at the beginning of the experiment with deoxy-Hb(Fe(II)) shortened the initial phase of NO accumulation and increased the maximal level of free, unbound NO by about twofold. These experiments appear consistent with no role of met-Hb(Fe(III)) in the generation of NO and an increase in nitrite reductase activity caused by the presumed binding of mercuric to cysteine residues. These results raise questions about the ability of reduction of nitrite mediated by deoxy-Hb(Fe(II)) to play a role in vasodilation.