Insight into the relevance of dinitrosyl iron complex (DNIC) formation in the absence of thiols in aqueous media

DNIC can be formed in aqueous media in the absence of thiols via mechanisms that depend exclusively on Fe(ii) and NO. However, these reactions do not take place at intracellular concentrations of Fe(ii) and NO, reinforcing the relevance of thiols to assist Fe(ii) to Fe(i) reduction during DNIC formation in biological media. A quantitative study of DNIC formation in the presence of non-thiol and thiol biomolecules in aqueous media points to the relevance of thiols to DNIC formation in cells.