Localization of NADPH diaphorase activity in monoaminergic neurons of the rat brain

Nitric oxide has recently been implicated as a neurotransmitter, and may modulate synaptic transmission, cerebral blood flow, and neurotoxicity. NADPH diaphorase histochemistry has been shown to be a reliable marker for nitric oxide synthase, the enzyme that synthesizes nitric oxide, in the nervous system. Because monoaminergic neurons frequently contain co-transmitters, we examined whether these cells also exhibit NADPH diaphorase activity. Frozen sections from postnatal and adult rat brains were stained for NADPH diaphorase activity and either serotonin-like immunoreactivity or tyrosine hydroxylase-like immunoreactivity. Numerous neurons in the mesopontine serotoninergic cell groups (including the caudal linear, dorsal, median, supralemniscal, and pontine raphe nuclei) contained both serotonin-like immunoreactivity and NADPH diaphorase activity. Within the dorsal raphe nucleus, approximately 70% of the serotoninergic neurons in the medial subnuclei displayed NADPH diaphorase activity, while less than 10% of the serotoninergic neurons in the lateral subnuclei were doubly labeled. Retrograde labeling with fluorescent microspheres indicated that many raphe-cortical neurons contained NADPH diaphorase activity. No NADPH diaphorase activity was detected in serotoninergic neurons in the medullary nuclei (including the raphe magnus, raphe pallidum, and raphe obscurus). Only a small proportion of tyrosine hydroxylase-like immunoreactive neurons in the periaqueductal gray, rostral linear nucleus, and rostrodorsal ventral tegmental area contained NADPH diaphorase activity. Tyrosine hydroxylase-like immunoreactive neurons in the substantia nigra, locus coeruleus, hypothalamus, olfactory bulb, and dorsal raphe nucleus did not contain detectable NADPH diaphorase activity. The observation that many mesopontine (but not medullary) serotoninergic neurons contain NADPH diaphorase activity suggests that these neurons may release both serotonin and nitric oxide.