Nitric oxide donors

1. A method of treating a disease or disorder selected from the group comprising angina, stroke, myocardial infarction and ischaemia-reperfusion injury in a subject in need thereof, said method comprising administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of a compound of formula I or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, wherein the compound of formula I has the following structure:

wherein

X − is an anion; and

L is a linker group selected from the group consisting of

(a) (C 1-30 ) alkylene,

(b) (C 1-x ) alkylene-NR—(C 1-y ) alkylene, wherein R is H, alkyl, or aryl,

(c) (C 1-x ) alkylene-NR—C(═O)—(C 1-y ) alkylene, wherein R is H, alkyl, or aryl,

(d) (C 1-x ) alkylene-C(═O)—NR—(C 1-y ) alkylene, wherein R is H, alkyl, or aryl,

(e) (C 1-x ) alkylene-O—(C 1-y ) alkylene,

(f) (C 1-x ) alkylene-O—C(═O)—(C 1-y ) alkylene,

(g) (C 1-x ) alkylene-S—(C 1-y ) alkylene, or

(h) (C 1-x ) alkylene-aryl-(C 1-y ) alkylene,

wherein x+y=30 and wherein each alkylene is optionally substituted with one or more functional groups independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, cycloalkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, haloalkyl, aryl, aminoalkyl, hydroxyalkyl, alkoxyalkyl, alkylthio, alkylsulfinyl, alkylsulfonyl, carboxyalkyl, cyano, oxy, amino, alkylamino, aminocarbonyl, alkoxycarbonyl, aryloxycarbonyl, alkylaminocarbonyl, arylaminocarbonyl, aralkylaminocarbonyl, alkylcarbonylamino, arylcarbonylamino, aralkylcarbonylamino, alkylcarbonyl, heterocyclocarbonyl, aminosulfonyl, alkylaminosulfonyl, alkylsulfonyl, and heterocyclosulfonyl, or the substituent groups of adjacent carbon atoms in the linker group can be taken together with the carbon atoms to which they are attached to form a carbocycle or a heterocycle.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the compound of formula I is administered as a pharmaceutical composition comprising a therapeutically effective amount of a compound of formula I with one or more pharmaceutically acceptable excipients, carriers or diluents.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the compound of formula I comprises a lipophilic cation linked by a linker group to a thionitrite moiety, wherein the compound has the structure of the general formula I and the lipophilic cation is capable of mitochondrially targeting the thionitrite moiety.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the anion is an anion derived from an acid selected from the group comprising hydrochloric, hydrobromic, hydroiodic, sulfuric, sulfurous, nitric, nitrous, phosphoric, phosphorous, alkylsulfonic or arylsulfonic acid.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the compound is of formula (II)

wherein n is from 0 to 27 and R 1 and R 2 are independently selected from the group comprising hydrogen, alkyl and aryl.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the compound is of formula (III)

wherein n is from 0 to 27 and R 1 , R 2 , R 3 and R 4 are independently selected from the group comprising hydrogen, alkyl and aryl.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the compound is of formula (IV)

wherein n is from 0 to 27 and R 1 , R 2 and R 3 are independently selected from the group comprising hydrogen, alkyl and aryl.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the compound is formula (V)

wherein n is from 0 to 27 and R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 and R 5 are independently selected from the group comprising hydrogen, alkyl and aryl.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the compound is of formula (VI)

wherein n is from 0 to 27 and R 1 , R 2 , R 3 and R 4 are independently selected from the group comprising hydrogen, alkyl and aryl.

10. The method of claim 5 , wherein R 1 and R 2 are independently selected from the group comprising hydrogen, methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, pentyl and hexyl, X − is chloride, bromide, iodide or methanesulfonate and n is from 0 to 10.

11. The method of claim 5 , wherein R 1 and R 2 are methyl, X − is bromide, or methanesulfonate and n is from 0 to 2.

12. The method of claim 6 , wherein R 1 R 2 , R 3 and R 4 are independently selected from the group comprising hydrogen, methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, pentyl and hexyl, X − is chloride, bromide, iodide or methanesulfonate and n is from 0 to 10.

13. The method of claim 6 , wherein R 1 R 2 , and R 3 are methyl, R 4 is hydrogen, X − is bromide or methanesulfonate and n is from 1 to 5.

14. The method of claim 7 , wherein R 1 R 2 and R 3 are independently selected from the group comprising hydrogen, methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, pentyl and hexyl, X − is chloride, bromide, iodide or methanesulfonate and n is from 0 to 10.

15. The method of claim 7 , wherein R 1 R 2 , and R 3 are methyl, X − is bromide or methanesulfonate and n is from 1 to 5.

16. The method of claim 8 , wherein R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 and R 5 are independently selected from the group comprising hydrogen, methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, pentyl and hexyl, X − is chloride, bromide, iodide or methanesulfonate and n is from 0 to 10.

17. The method of claim 8 , wherein R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 and R 5 are methyl, X − is bromide or methanesulfonate and n is from 1 to 5.

18. The method of claim 9 , wherein R 1 R 2 , R 3 and R 4 are independently selected from the group comprising hydrogen, methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, pentyl and hexyl, X − is chloride, bromide, iodide or methanesulfonate and n is from 0 to 10.

19. The method of claim 9 , wherein R 1 R 2 , R 3 and R 4 are methyl, X − is bromide or methanesulfonate and n is from 1 to 5.

20. The method of claim 1 , wherein the compound is