Salicylate is a transcriptional inhibitor of the inducible nitric oxide synthase in cultured cardiac fibroblasts.

We have previously reported that salicylate inhibits the inducible NO synthase (NOS 2) in cytokine-induced cardiac fibroblasts (Farivar, R. S., Chobanian, A. V., and Brecher, P. (1996) Circ. Res. 78, 759-768). To define further the mechanism of inhibition of NOS 2 by salicylate, we investigated NOS 2 mRNA induction by cytokines and determined the kinetics of inhibition by salicylate as compared to dexamethasone. Interferon-gamma plus tumor necrosis factor-alpha induced NOS 2 mRNA synergistically in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Both dexamethasone and salicylate equally inhibited the induction of NOS 2 mRNA in a time- and dose-dependent fashion, both before and after cytokine induction. Salicylate also inhibited interferon-gamma plus interleukin-1beta-induced NOS 2 mRNA. After 24 h of cytokine stimulation, salicylate stopped the induction of NOS 2 mRNA, whereas dexamethasone delayed the accumulation of transcript. In half-life experiments of NOS 2 mRNA, we found that dexamethasone reduced the half-life of NOS 2 mRNA from 7 to 4 h, whereas salicylate had no effect on mRNA stability. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interferon-gamma induced NF-kappaB (p50/p65) and STAT-1, respectively, as assessed by gel shift assays. Salicylate did not inhibit the cytokine induction of NF-kappaB or STAT-1. This study suggests that the anti-inflammatory mechanism of salicylate involves inhibition of NOS 2 transcription and shows that the effect is independent of NF-kappaB activation.