Capturing the sublimity of a free radical gas

This paper reviews the work related to nitric oxide (NO) done by the author and his postgraduates and colleagues in the Fast 7 years in the National U niversity of Singapore. Our work shows that (i) NADPH-d and NO synthase (NO S) are often but not always identical; (ii) NO las indicated by NADPH-d his tochemistry and NOS immunohistochemistry is generated in some endocrine (th yroid, parathyroid and ultimobranchial glands) and immune (thymus and bursa of Fabricius) organs and the cochlea. It is noted from the above studies t hat NO could possibly regulate blood flow through the various organs via it s presence in the vascular endothelial cells and also via nitrergic neurons innervating the blood vessels. It could also regulate the activity of the secretary cells of these organs by being present in them, as well as acting through nitrergic neurons closely related to them. The paper also examines the Janus-faced nature of NO as a neuroprotective and neurodestructive age nt, and the apparent noninvolvement of peroxynitrite and inducible NOS in n euronal death occurring in the red nucleus and nucleus dorsalis after spina l cord hemisection.