The term "reactive nitrogen species" includes nitrogen monoxide, commonly called nitric oxide, and some other remarkable chemical entities (peroxynitrite, nitrosoperoxycarbonate, etc.) formed mostly from nitrogen monoxide itself in biological environments. Regardless of the specific mechanisms implicated in their effects, however, it is clear that an integrated pharmacological approach to peroxynitrite and related species is only just beginning to take shape. The array of affected chemical and pathological processes is extremely broad. One of the most conspicuous mechanisms observed thus far has been the scavenging of the peroxynitrite anion by molecules endowed with antioxidant activity. This discovery has in turn lent great significance to several naturally occurring and synthetic antioxidants, which usually protect not only against oxidative reactions, but also from nitrating ones, both in vitro and in vivo. This has proven to be beneficial in different tissues, especially within the central nervous system. Taking these results and those of other biochemical investigations into account, many research lines are currently in progress to establish the true potential of reactive nitrogen species deactivators in the therapy of neurological diseases, ischemia-reperfusion damage, renal failure, and lung injury, among others.
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