a b s t r a c tHuman serum albumin (HSA) is a monomeric allosteric protein. Here, the effect of ibuprofen on denitrosylation kinetics (k off ) and spectroscopic properties of HSA-heme-Fe(II)-NO is reported. The k off value increases from (1.4 ± 0.2) Â 10 À4 s À1 , in the absence of the drug, to (9.5 ± 1.2) Â 10 À3 s À1 , in the presence of 1.0 Â 10 À2 M ibuprofen, at pH 7.0 and 10.0°C. From the dependence of k off on the drug concentration, values of the dissociation equilibrium constants for ibuprofen binding to HSA-heme-Fe(II)-NO (K 1 = (3.1 ± 0.4) Â 10 À7 M, K 2 = (1.7 ± 0.2) Â 10 À4 M, and K 3 = (2.2 ± 0.2) Â 10 À3 M) were determined. The K 3 value corresponds to the value of the dissociation equilibrium constant for ibuprofen binding to HSA-heme-Fe(II)-NO determined by monitoring drug-dependent absorbance spectroscopic changes (H = (2.6 ± 0.3) Â 10 À3 M). Present data indicate that ibuprofen binds to the FA3-FA4 cleft (Sudlow's site II), to the FA6 site, and possibly to the FA2 pocket, inducing the hexa-coordination of HSA-heme-Fe(II)-NO and triggering the heme-ligand dissociation kinetics.