Mitochondria-targeted nitric oxide releasing graphene oxide for cardiovascular therapeutics

Introduction: For >140 years, NO donors e.g, organic nitrates/nitrites have been a cornerstone for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases[1]. They produce NO in circulation. However, it is desirable to deliver NO precisely at the right time and location, such as to prevent myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury after heart attack[1]. I/R injury is driven by mitochondrial reactive oxygen species[2]. NO delivered at reperfusion point reduces injury[3], but achieving this is difficult. We hypothesized that graphene can be tweaked to provide varying NO release specifically targeting mitochondria.