Abstract
We investigated the expression of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) in motoneurons of aged rats by the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH)-diaphorase (NADPH-d) reaction. The number of NADPH-d positive neurons (i.e. presumed motoneurons) in the motor nucleus at L4–L6 level of the spinal cord was 0.0 ± 0.0 for 13- to 15-month-old rats, 2.2 ± 0.8 for 24-month-old rats, and 7.9 ± 5.4 for 29- to 32-month-old rats. These NADPH-d positive neurons were multipolar in shape and the soma cross-sectional area was 820 ± 245 μ 2 ( n = 56, range 359–1460 μ 2) which was similar to the value for alpha-motoneurons. The results indicate the nitric oxide (NO) may be produced by a few motoneurons in the aged rat spinal cord and may lead these neurons to eventual death.
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