Nitric oxide prevents leukocyte adherence: role of superoxide

The objective of this study was to determine whether the antiadhesive effects of NO for leukocytes are related to its ability to scavenge superoxide in vivo. Intravital microscopy was used to monitor leukocyte adherence and flux as well as velocity and number of rolling leukocytes in 25- to 40-microns venules. The superoxide-generating system, hypoxanthine and xanthine oxidase (HX-XO), was infused into the mesenteric circulation in untreated animals and in animals pretreated with either superoxide dismutase (SOD) or the NO donor, SIN 1. In another series of studies, the mesenteric preparation was superfused with either platelet-activating factor (PAF) or leukotriene B4 (LTB4) followed by the administration of either SIN 1 or SOD. HX-XO infusion caused a significant increase in the number of rolling and adherent leukocytes (responses that were entirely inhibited by SOD or SIN 1). SOD and SIN 1 both attenuated the PAF-induced but not the LTB4-induced leukocyte adherence. The observation that both SOD and SIN 1 inhibit leukocyte adhesion only under conditions associated with superoxide formation (HX-XO and PAF, but not LTB4) strongly suggests that the antiadhesion properties of NO are related to its ability to inactivate the superoxide anion.