RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To observe the change of nitric oxide synthetase (NOS) in lateral geniculate nucleus of normal and monocular deprived kittens and to discuss the role of nitric oxide in the etiopathology of amblyopia. METHODS: The distribution of nitric oxide synthetase in lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) of normal and monocular deprived kittens had been studied by using nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH)-diaphorase histochemical method (NDP). RESULTS: In normal kittens, NOS positive cells were not seen in any lamina of LGN, but NOS positive fibers were discovered. In monocular deprived kittens, NOS positive fibers were seen in every layers of LGN, in the nondeprived laminae of LGN there was strip-shaped distribution of NOS positive cells, and in the deprived laminae the NOS positive cells were occasionally seen. CONCLUSION: NOS might act as a new class of neurotransmitter and be involved in the formation of emblyopia.