Toxicity of nitric oxide and peroxynitrite to bacterial pathogens of fish

The inhibitory effect of the nitric oxide (NO) donor S-nitroso-acetyl-penicillamine (SNAP) and the NO and O-2(-) donor 3-morpholino-sydnonimine hydrochloride (SIN-1) was tested in a cell-free assay. Strains of the bacterial fish pathogens Aeromonas salmonicida, Renibacterium salmoninarum and Yersinia ruckeri were exposed to different concentrations of the NO donors for 24 h. The results showed that NO possesses inhibitory properties, while peroxynitrite had no effect. However, when SIN-1 was used in combination with superoxide dismutase (SOD) alone or with catalase, an inhibitory effect comparable to that caused by SNAP was seen. The implications of these results are discussed.