Nitro-oleic acid (OA-NO 2 ), an electrophilic fatty acid by-product of nitric oxide and nitrite reactions, is present in normal and inflamed mammalian tissues at up to micromolar concentrations and exhibits anti-inflammatory signaling actions. The effects of OA-NO 2 on cultured dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons were examined using fura-2 Ca 2ϩ imaging and patch clamping. OA-NO 2 (3.5-35 M) elicited Ca 2ϩ transients in 20 to 40% of DRG neurons, the majority (60 -80%) of which also responded to allyl isothiocyanate (AITC; 1-50 M), a TRPA1 agonist, and to capsaicin (CAPS; 0.5 M), a TRPV1 agonist. The OA-NO 2 -evoked Ca 2ϩ transients were reduced by the TRPA1 antagonist 2-(1,3-dimethyl-2,6-dioxo-1,2,3,6-tetrahydro-7H-purin-7-yl)-N-(4-isopropylphenyl) acetamide (HC-030031; 5-50 M) and the TRPV1 antagonist capsazepine (10 M). Patchclamp recording revealed that OA-NO 2 depolarized and induced inward currents in 62% of neurons. The effects of OA-NO 2 were elicited by concentrations Ն5 nM and were blocked by 10 mM dithiothreitol. Concentrations of OA-NO 2 Ն5 nM reduced action potential (AP) overshoot, increased AP duration, inhibited firing induced by depolarizing current pulses, and inhibited Na ϩ currents. The effects of OA-NO 2 were not prevented or reversed by the NO-scavenger carboxy-2-phenyl-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazolineoxyl-1-oxyl-3-oxide. A large percentage (46 -57%) of OA-NO 2 -responsive neurons also responded to CAPS (0.5 M) or AITC (0.5 M). OA-NO 2 currents were reduced by TRPV1 (diarylpiperazine; 5 M) or TRPA1 (HC-030031; 5 M) antagonists. These data reveal that endogenous OA-NO 2 generated at sites of inflammation may initially activate transient receptor potential channels on nociceptive afferent nerves, contributing to the initiation of afferent nerve activity, and later suppresses afferent firing.