Patent ID: 7045152

Claim:
A method for treating a pulmonary disorder associated with depletion of the S-nitrosoglutathione pool in the lung or depletion of the glutathione pool in the lung or production of reactive oxygen species in the lung of a patient having such disorder which comprises delivering into the lungs of said patient as a gas, a therapeutically effective amount of an agent selected from the group consisting of: (a) compounds having an NO group and having a hypoxia relieving and smooth muscle constriction relieving effect with the said NO group being bound in said compound so it does not form NO 2 , NO, N 2 O 3 , N 2 O 4 , OONO − and OONO• and any products of their interaction with NO or NO 2 ; and (b) N 2 O 3 ; and (c) NOX, wherein X is halogen, hydrogen or CN, which causes repletion or increase of the S-nitrosoglutathione pool in the lung or protects against toxicity where glutathione is depleted in the lung or where reactive oxygen species are increased in the lung and does so independently of reaction with oxygen.