About the Authors

Krittapoom Akrawinthawong

Affiliations Molecular Medicine Branch, National Institutes of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand

Ji Won Park

Affiliation Molecular Medicine Branch, National Institutes of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America

Barbora Piknova

Affiliation Molecular Medicine Branch, National Institutes of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America

Nathawut Sibmooh

Affiliation Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand

Suthat Fucharoen

Affiliation Thalassemia Research Center, Institute of Science and Technology for Research and Development, Mahidol University, Nakhonpathom, Thailand

Alan N. Schechter

alans@intra.niddk.nih.gov

Affiliation Molecular Medicine Branch, National Institutes of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America

Competing Interests

The authors have the following interests: Dr. Alan Schechter is listed as a coinventor on several patents issued to the National Institutes of Health for the use of nitrite salts for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. He receives royalties based on NIH licensing of these patents for clinical development but no other compensation. Gladwin, M.T., Cannon, III, R.O., and Schechter, A.N.: Use of nitrite salts for the treatment of cardiovascular conditions. U.S. Patent Appl. No. 10/563, 682 filed January 6, 2006, U.S. Patents 20,060,182,815; 20,070,154,569; 20,100,247,682. This does not alter the authors' adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.

Author Contributions

Conceived and designed the experiments: KA BP NS ANS. Performed the experiments: KA. Analyzed the data: KA JWP BP ANS. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: NS SF ANS. Wrote the paper: KA JWP BP NS SF ANS.