Nitric oxide measurement by chemiluminescence detection

Nitric oxide can be chemically and specifically detected in the gas phase by the chemiluminescence of its reaction with ozone. This method is potentially the most sensitive chemical assay currently available for the detection of NO, but the application of this technique to the detection of NO in small biological samples introduces some significant restrictions on its sensitivity. Despite the restrictions, it is still among the more sensitive chemical assays for NO or NO-containing compounds for many biological experiments. The theory behind chemiluminescence detection of NO is discussed, as well as the features responsible for its high sensitivity and the factors that decrease its sensitivity in biological applications. The use of chemiluminescence detection of NO is illustrated by the measurement of the effect of brain tissue on the conversion of three nitrovasodilators, sodium nitroprusside, nitroglycerin, and S-nitroso-l-cysteine, to nitric oxide.