Nitrites

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Abstract

Nitrites have been used in a variety of food packaging, manufacturing, and medical settings for more than 150 years. The therapeutic benefit of nitrites was first investigated in the mid-1800s, when nitroglycerin was used as a treatment for angina [1]. Antidotal use of nitrites currently is reserved as a secondary treatment for cyanide poisoning and for consideration in the treatment of severe hydrogen sulfide poisoning. There are no human studies that are available to demonstrate benefits of nitrites in hydrogen sulfide overdoses. Animal studies of nitrites for hydrogen sulfide are equivocal. In the USA, two nitrite agents were packaged together in the cyanide antidote kit (originally manufactured by Eli Lilly and Company); the current cyanide antidote kit contains sodium nitrite (NaNO2) injection and sodium thiosulfate injection (Nithiodote®, Hope Pharmaceuticals, Scottsdale, AZ). These agents have been used for the treatment of cyanide toxicity since the 1930s. However, since its approval by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2006, hydroxocobalamin is considered the preferred cyanide antidote in the USA, Europe, and Australia [2].

Keywords

Hydrogen Sulfide Sodium Nitrite Secondary Treatment Cyanide Poisoning Cyanide Toxicity 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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Copyright information

© Springer International Publishing AG 2016

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.School of PharmacyUniversity of Maryland-BaltimoreBaltimoreUSA

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