Nitric oxide and release of the peptide VIP from parasympathetic terminals in the submandibular gland of the anaesthetized cat.

The role of nitric oxide (NO) in mediating various submandibular responses to stimulation of the parasympathetic innervation has been investigated in anaesthetized cats, in which N omega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME; 30 mg kg-1 I.A.) was used to block the synthesis of NO. L-NAME significantly reduced the vasodilator response and the flow of saliva, together with the output of salivary protein that occurred during stimulation of the chorda lingual nerve (20 Hz for 1 s at 10 s intervals), without significantly reducing the output of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) from the gland. The results show that NO is implicated not only in the release of VIP, as established previously, but also in mediating its actions following release in the submandibular gland of the cat.