Concentration of nitrite and nonthiol nitroso compounds in tissues as a high sensitive marker of leukocyte activity

This paper shows that the inflammation-induced appearance of nitrite and nonthiol nitroso compounds in the hen blood and cow milk is due to oxidation of dinitrosyl iron complexes (DNIC) and nitrosothiols (RSNO) by reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are produced by activated leukocytes. Since DNIC and RSNO are highly effective ROS scavengers, the content of nitrite and nonthiol nitroso compounds can be regarded as one of the most sensitive indicators of leukocyte activation.