Abstract
Carbon monoxide (CO) is an essential signaling molecule in the human body. It is generated in vivo by catabolism of heme by heme oxygenase. There is now considerable interest in supplying it for a wide range of medical applications including treatment of the cardiovascular system, reduction of inflammation, and killing antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Administration of CO presents a problem. It can be administered as a mixture with air but toxicity severely limits quantity. This chapter describes the work to develop the use of metal carbonyls as CO‐releasing molecules. These compounds offer the possibility of administering CO locally and the use of local higher CO concentrations than can be used in whole‐body CO gas administration through the lungs.
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