Aurora Messina, Kenneth R. Knight, Bruce J. Dowsing, Baimeng Zhang, Long H. Phan, John V. Hurley, Wayne A. Morrison, and Alastair G. Stewart

SUMMARY: Nitric oxide contributes to tissue necrosis after ischemia-reperfusion (IR). A biochemical and immunohistochemical study was made of the amounts and localization of both Ca⁺⁺-independent nitric oxide synthase (NOS) II and Ca⁺⁺-dependent (NOS I and NOS III) in rat skeletal muscle after ischemia and 0.5, 2, 8, 16, and 24 hours reperfusion. NOS II was not detectable in control muscle or during ischemia, was first detected after 2 hours reperfusion, increased further by 8 hours, and remained elevated at 24 hours. Both NOS II and nitrotyrosine, a marker of peroxynitrite formation, were localized exclusively to mast cells except after 24 hours reperfusion when some macrophages and neutrophils also showed positive immunoreactivity. Mast cells underwent extensive degranulation during reperfusion. NOS I was not detected in injured or control muscle. The level of NOS III, which was localized to the endothelium of blood vessels of all sizes in control muscle, decreased progressively during ischemia and reperfusion to reach undetectable levels after 16 hours reperfusion. These findings indicate that most of the nitric oxide formed during IR injury is generated by NOS II located almost exclusively in mast cells. (Lab Invest 2000, 80: 279-289)