Singlet Oxygen-Triggered Release of Nitric Oxide in an Endoperoxide-Arginine Conjugate.

Nitric oxide (NO) is an important signaling molecule in both healthy and pathological processes. In this work, we present the first example of a novel class of organic NO-donor compounds with minimal toxicity. The release is driven by the reaction of singlet oxygen spontaneously produced by the cycloreversion reaction of the endoperoxide. Cell culture and imaging data confirms the release of NO in this bimodular system.