title: In vitro, melatonin treatment decreases nitric oxide levels in murine splenocytes cultured with the venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis virus.
abstract: The purpose of this work was to determine the effect of melatonin on the nitric oxide levels in murine splenocytes cultured with the Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis virus. After incubation, nitric oxide levels were measured by the diazotization assay. Those cultures with the Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis virus increased nitric oxide levels. Splenocytes infected and treated with 100 and 150 microg/ml of melatonin, decreased significantly the nitric oxide levels when compared to infected and non-treated splenocytes. These findings show that splenocytes infected with the Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis virus generate important amounts of nitric oxide and suggest that melatonin protects the mice infected with the Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis virus by a mechanism involving the decreasing of nitric oxide concentrations in tissue.
authors.affiliation: Secció n de VirologiaInstituto de Investigaciones Clínicas Dr. Américo Negrette, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad del Zulia, Apartado Postal 23, Maracaibo, Estado Zulia, Venezuela. nere98@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Nereida
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Valero
authors.forename: Eddy
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Meleán
authors.forename: Ernesto
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bonilla
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Arias
authors.forename: Luz Marina
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Espina
authors.forename: Leonor
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chacin-Bonilla
authors.forename: Yraima
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Larreal
authors.forename: Merybell
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maldonado
authors.forename: Florencio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Añez
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004666:Encephalitis Virus, Venezuelan Equine / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008550:Melatonin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism*; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology* / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D009569:Nitric Oxide; D008550:Melatonin