The versatile chemistry of nitrogen is important to pulmonary physiology. Indeed, almost all
redox forms of nitrogen are relevant to pulmonary physiology and to pathophysiology. Here
we review the relevance to pulmonary biology of (a) elemental nitrogen;(b) reduced forms of
nitrogen such as amines, ammonia, and hydroxylamine; and (c) oxidized forms of nitrogen
such as the nitroxyl anion, the nitric oxide free radical, and S-nitrosothiols. Our focus is on
oxidized nitrogen in the form of S-nitrosothiol bond–containing species, which are now …