Kinetic analysis of the fate of nitric oxide synthesized by macrophages in vitro.

To investigate the fate of nitric oxide (NO) synthesized by activated macrophages, the concentrations of NO and its principal reaction products, nitrite (NO2-) and nitrate (NO3-), were measured as a function of time in suspension cultures of RAW264.7 macrophages attached to microcarrier beads. Synthesis of NO became evident 2-5 h after stimulation of the cells, and steady concentrations of NO were achieved after about 9 h. The appearance of NO in the extracellular fluid coincided with the appearance of NO2- and NO3-, which were formed thereafter at approximately equal and constant rates. Using a kinetic model based on rate constants measured previously in cell-free systems, only half of the NO2- formed could be accounted for by the reaction of NO with O2. It is known that NO reacts with superoxide (O2.) to give peroxynitrite and that NO also reacts with peroxynitrite to yield NO2-, so that the latter reaction may explain the "excess" NO2- formation. Adding superoxide dismutase to the medium markedly reduced the ratio of NO3- to NO2-, consistent with the hypothesis that NO3- in the medium results primarily from the extracellular reaction of NO with O2-.. The addition of morpholine, a model amine, resulted in formation of N-nitrosomorpholine, concurrent with the other products. Measured rates of nitrosomorpholine formation were 6-fold lower than predictions based on kinetics in simple solutions, suggesting that in the cell culture system there were additional reactions that lowered the concentration of nitrous anhydride, the principal nitrosating agent formed from NO and O2.