Inhibition of nitric oxide formation in vivo enhances superoxide release by the perfused liver

Nitric oxide, a known scavenger of toxic oxygen-derived radicals, has been shown to have a protective effect against tissue injury in endotoxemia. Based on the hypothesis that under normal physiological conditions, a balance between superoxide and nitric oxide exists in vivo, this work examines hepatic superoxide release after nitric oxide formation is inhibited in vivo. Male Sprague-Dawley rats w…