Hydroxocobalamins as biologically compatible donors of nitric oxide implicated in the acceleration of wound healing

In the late 1970s, research was unfolding that implicated nitric oxide involvement in the process of vasodilation. By 1986, research culminated in the identification of nitric oxide as the endothelium-derived relaxing factor responsible for the maintenance of vascular tone, thus implicating nitric oxide as a potential wound-healing agent. Biomedical researchers involved in wound-healing research quickly embraced the utility of developing a polymeric donor of nitric oxide which would enhance the wound-healing process. Several synthetic nitric oxide donors have been developed, dubbed 'NONOates', which have achieved great success in delivering nitric oxide to wounds. However, the impact on wound healing has been ambiguous and deemed antagonistic to the immune system in some cases. The propensity for the immune system to reject 'non-self' is a major factor in evaluating the usefulness of synthetic polymeric nitric oxide donors. The necessity of natural-product nitric oxide donors is apparent when examining the complications which are possible in a synthetic delivery system. Given the affinity nitric oxide has for transition metals, and the biological availability of transition-metal-centered products in vivo, it seems logical to pursue a transition-metal nitric oxide donor which is biologically friendly. Vitamin B12a (hydroxocobalamin), a natural product, offers an ideal environment to serve as a donor of nitric oxide.