Function of carbon monoxide (CO) in humans. cGMP, cyclic guanosine monophosphate; Egr, early growth response; HIF, hypoxia inducible factor; IL, interleukin; MAPK, mitogen‐activated protein kinase; NFκB, nuclear factor‐κB; PPAR, peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor; ROS, reactive oxygen species; sGC, soluble guanylyl cyclase; VEGF, vascular endothelial growth factor.