The reversible inhibitory effects of nitric oxide (⅐NO) on mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase and O 2 uptake are dependent on intramitochondrial ⅐NO utilization. This study was aimed at establishing the mitochondrial pathways for In the early 1970s, it was recognized that isolated respiring mitochondria produce hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) at rates that depend on the redox state of the components of the respiratory chain and, consequently, on the mitochondrial metabolic state and the presence of inhibitors (1, 2). Mitochondrial production of H 2 O 2 accounts for about 1% of the O 2 uptake under physiological conditions, according to evidence obtained from perfused rat liver and heart (3). Mitochondrial H 2 O 2 is produced through the manganese-superoxide dismutase-catalyzed disproportionation of O 2. (4 -6), which is vectorially generated into the mitochondrial matrix during ubisemiquinone autoxidation (4, 7, 8) and NADH-dehydrogenase activity (9 value of 0.5-1.0 ϫ 10 -10 M can be estimated (3, 10). Nitric oxide (⅐NO) produced by the endothelium elicits cellular physiological effects within a wide concentration range (10 -9 to 10 -5 M). The effects of ⅐NO on mitochondria-inhibition of cytochrome c oxidase (11-19), impairment of electron flow at the cytochrome bc 1 region (17), and oxidation of ubiquinol (20, 21)-require progressively increasing concentrations of this species. ⅐NO regulates O 2 uptake and promotes H 2 O 2 release by mitochondria (17,22) (an effect also demonstrated in the isolated beating rat heart (23)); the increase in mitochondrial H 2 O 2 formation may be understood as an antimycin-like effect of ⅐NO accomplished by its effective binding to the cytochrome bc 1 segment (17).The ⅐NO influx in the mitochondrial compartment is expected to affect the steady-state levels of O 2 . due to the diffusion-controlled reaction between these species (24, 25) to yield peroxynitrite (ONOO -) (26). Three recently recognized facts add complexity to the mitochondrial interactions between O 2 .and ⅐NO: first, ⅐NO inhibits succinate-cytochrome c reductase activity and increases O 2 . production in submitochondrial particles, isolated mitochondria, and perfused rat heart (17, 23). Second, membrane-bound mitochondrial NOS 1 generates ⅐NO at rates that are similar to the rates of mitochondrial O 2 . production (27-29). Third, ⅐NO can be reduced to the nitroxyl anion (NO -) by one-electron transfers from three reduced components of the mitochondrial respiratory chain: ubiquinol, cytochrome c, and cytochrome c oxidase (20,30,31).The fine metabolic control of the intramitochondrial steadystate concentrations of ⅐NO-performed through a series of oxidative and reductive reactions involving O 2 . , ubiquinol, the cytochrome bc 1 segment, and cytochrome c oxidase-is relevant to mitochondrial physiology with further implications for cell energy production. This study is aimed at establishing the mitochondrial pathways for ⅐NO utilization that regulate O 2 .generation via reductive and oxidative reactions involving ubiquinol...