[Angeli salt as a producer of nitrogen oxide in animal tissues]

Sodium trioxodinitrate (NaN2O3, Angeli salt) injected intraperitoneally to mice and intraarterially to rats is decomposed to form nitrogen oxide which is bound in tissues to the Fe2(+)-DETC complex or hemoglobin. The nitrosyl complexes formed thereby were studied by the EPR method. As can be judged from the number of complexes formed, nitrogen oxide produces 3-4% of exogenous NaN2O3 which provides for the hypotensive properties of Angeli salt as well as for its ability to cause the relaxation of isolated segments of rabbit femoral artery. In this respect NaN2O3 is by one order of magnitude less effective compared to sodium nitroprusside.