Gaseotransmitters: New frontiers for translational science

Translational research on endogenous gaseous mediators - nitric oxide, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen sulfide - has exploded over the past decade. Drugs that modulate either the gaseous mediators themselves or their related intracellular signaling pathways are already in use in the clinics, and still more are being tested in preclinical models and clinical trials. Discussed here are the chemical and pharmacological properties that present challenges for the translation of these potentially toxic molecules.