Endogenous concentration of unbound NO is actually quite low, and most of the biological effects of NO are mediated through formation of S-nitrosothiols (SNOs) such as S-nitrosohemoglobin (SNO-Hb). NO binds to hemoglobin in a PO2-dependent manner, forming SNO-Hb so that when PO2 is low, NO-Hb binding is less avid and SNO-Hb is depleted. Depletion of SNO-Hb during hypoxia has been proposed as a mechanism that augments HPV, and indeed hypoxia has been shown to induce low levels of SNO-Hb. It is quite possible that the reduction in available endogenous NO and depletion of SNO-Hb during hypoxia limits the effect of the cGMP mechanism by which sildenafil works. Thus, an agent which can activate cGMP during periods of hypoxia when NO and SNO-Hb are depleted should be more effective in treating altitude-induced pulmonary hypertension.