Visible/Red/NIR Light-Mediated NO Donors for Biological Applications

Nitric oxide (NO) is an important messenger molecule in almost all organisms. The diverse biological activities of NO have initiated in-depth research on the development of exogenous NO donors. Light-controlled NO donor can transport NO to specific areas to treat various diseases; thus, light–triggered NO donors are rapidly becoming an important class of compounds for the design of novel potential drugs. This review highlights the recent development of organic small molecule-based light-triggered NO donors and focuses on visible/red/NIR light-mediated NO donors. It contains rational designs of NO donor, NO releasing mechanism and detection, as well as its biological applications. Finally, the advantages, drawbacks, and challenges of this strategy are discussed in view of practical applications.