HISTOCHEMICAL METHOD FOR DETECTING NITRIC-OXIDE SYNTHASE ACTIVITY IN CELL-CULTURES

NADPH diaphorase histochemistry has been used extensively for detectin g nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity in various cell types including neuronal cell bodies, vascular endothelium, cells of the immune syste m and epithelial cells, The use of the diaphorase technique in cell cu ltures to study the induction of NOS has not been investigated. In thi s paper we report the use of diaphorase histochemistry as a good marke r for the detection of NOS activity in cultured cells, This technique can be used in conjunction with other established techniques to determ ine the presence and activity of NOS in cultured cells.