Expresión de las sintasas de óxido nítrico inducida por lipopolisacárido en cerebro de ratas

Introduction. Nitric oxide (NO) is formed from the amino acid L-arginine by a family of enzymes, the NO synthases (NOSs), and plays a role in many physiological functions. NO is synthesized in neurons of the central nervous system, where it acts as a neuromediator with many physiological functions, including the formation of memory, coordination between neuronal activity and blood flow, and modulation of pain. In the peripheral nervous system, NO is now known to be the mediator released by a widespread network of nerves, previously recognized as nonadrenergic and noncholinergic. These nerves mediate some forms of neurogenic vasodilation and regulate certain gastrointestinal, respiratory and genitourinary functions. NOS is a heme-containing enzyme with a sequence similarity to cytochrome P-450 reductase. Several isoforms of NOS are now known to exist, two of which are constitutive; neuronal and endothelial and one of which is inducible by LPS (nNOS, eNOS and iNOS, respectively). Objective. To explore expression and immunolocalization of NOSs in brains isolated from male Wistar rats by LPS.