Recent studies demonstrate that nitric oxide (NO) serves as a physiological substrate for mammalian peroxidases [(2000) J. Biol. Chem. 275, 37524]. We now show that eosinophil peroxidase (EPO) and lactoperoxidase (LPO), peroxidases known to be enriched in airways of asthmatic subjects, function as a catalytic sink for NO, modulating its bioavailability and function. Using NO-selective electrodes and direct spectroscopic and rapid kinetic methods, we examined the interactions of NO with EPO and LPO compounds I and II and ferric forms and compared the results to those reported for myeloperoxidase. A unified kinetic model for NO interactions with intermediates of mammalian peroxidases during steady-state catalysis is presented that accommodates unique features observed with each member of the mammalian peroxidase superfamily. Potential functional consequences of peroxidase-NO interactions in asthma are investigated by utilizing organ chamber studies with tracheal rings. In the presence of pathophysiologically relevant levels of peroxidases and H(2)O(2), NO-dependent bronchodilation of preconstricted tracheal rings was reversibly inhibited. Thus, NO interaction with mammalian peroxidases may serve as a potential mechanism for modulating their catalytic activities, influencing the regulation of local inflammatory and infectious events in vivo.