title: Increased cerebrospinal fluid nitrite and nitrate levels in patients with lumbar spondylosis.
abstract: Nitric oxide is thought to mediate the cytotoxic effects of certain neurologic diseases. To investigate whether overproduction of nitric oxide may play a role in lumber spondylosis, we compared the levels of nitrite and nitrate in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from patients with lumbar spondylosis with those from a control group by automated flow injection analysis. CSF levels of nitric oxide metabolites were significantly higher in patients with lumbar spondylosis compared with the control (p < 0.01). Nitric oxide may play a role in lumbar pain or nerve damage in sciatic and the CSF nitrite/nitrate may be used as a diagnostic parameter of spinal diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Okayama University Medical School, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Asahara
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Yokoi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tamada
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kabuto
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ogawab
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Inoue
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009566:Nitrates / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000096:biosynthesis; D009573:Nitrites / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D013128:Spinal Osteophytosis / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*
chemical_list: D009566:Nitrates; D009573:Nitrites; D009569:Nitric Oxide