Piloty’s Acid is one of the most commonly used nitroxyl (HNO) donors, decomposing to form HNO and benzenesulfinate anion under basic conditions. HNO is the one electron reduced form of nitric oxide (NO), which has been indicated in a variety of processes in the body, including regulation of vascular tone and neuronal signaling. The rate of HNO release by Piloty’s acid at pH 7.0 is very slow (t = 5500 minutes), making its use most effective above pH 8.0. As pH increases, the half-life of Piloty’s acid decreases to 561, 90, and 33 minutes at pH 8.0, 9.0, and 10.0, respectively. Piloty’s acid also inhibits yeast aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) with an IC50 of 48 μM.
