A review and discussion.Nitric oxide has been shown to be an antimicrobial agent, but it has not been widely used in clin. therapies or for removal of microbial contamination of products that require sterility.This is in part due to difficulty in developing appropriate delivery systems and its potential for toxicity.Diazeniumdiolates are stable compounds that release nitric oxide at a predictable rate and might prove useful in addressing these problems.The properties of diazeniumdiolates that make them attractive for these applied uses are reviewed.In addition, the antimicrobial effects of nitric oxide are discussed, and recent information concerning the in vitro antimicrobial activity of diazeniumdiolate released nitric oxide is presented.