Potassium-stimulated release of nitric oxide from cerebellar slices.

This study shows that nitric oxide release can be evoked from intact neuronal tissue. Stimulation of rat cerebellar slices for 4 min with 50 mM potassium significantly increased the release of nitric oxide and glutamate and was associated with a rise in the guanosine 3':5'-cyclic monophosphate (cyclic GMP) content of the tissue. Nitric oxide levels in the perfusate increased from 160 to 262 parts per billion. It is suggested that an increased release of endogenous glutamate in the slice, induced by exposure to potassium, may mediate the release of nitric oxide.