[Nitric oxide synthase activity in nasal mucosa].
Nitric oxide (NO) plays an important regulatory role in airway function and seems to be implicated in the pathophysiology of several airway diseases. We studied the presence of NO synthase activity in human nasal mucosa and nasal polyp tissues obtained from patients undergoing septoplasty or polypectomy, respectively. NO synthase activity was quantified in tissue homogenates using citrulline release assay and was located in tissue sections using NADPH-diaphorase histochemistry. The results indicated that nasal polyps contain higher levels of total NO synthase activity than nasal mucosa tissue. In addition, nasal polyps contained mainly inducible NO synthase activity whereas all NO synthase activity detected in the nasal mucosa was in constitutive form. In both cases, NO synthase activity was localized in epithelial cells. In view of these results, we conclude that NO may be an important inflammatory mediator in the respiratory system and that the epithelium may be a source of NO production.
Lorente
J
J
Departamento de ORL, Hospital General Universitario Valle de Hebrón, Barcelona.
Quesada
J L
JL
Quesada
P
P
Serra
J
J
Piñas
J
J
Bulbena
O
O
Ramis
I
I
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009297:Nasal Mucosa / Q000201:enzymology*; D009298:Nasal Polyps / Q000201:enzymology / Q000601:surgery; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000378:metabolism*
D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase
Actividad óxido nítrico sintasa en la mucosa nasal.