Target background:
Nitric Oxide can be spectrophotometrically assayed by measuring the accumulation of its stable degradation products, nitrate and nitrite. The ratio of these two products in biological fluids, tissue culture media, etc. may vary substantially. Hence, for accurate assessment of the total nitric oxide generated, one must monitor both nitrate and nitrite. An excellent solution to this problem involves conversion of nitrate to nitrite catalyzed by cadmium, followed by quantitation of nitrite using Griess Reagent. In addition to providing all necessary components in a microtiter format, this kit employs cadmium beads, which is suitable for rapid, quantitative and inexpensive determination of the total nitric oxide. Nitrate reductase may also be used for this purpose, but cadmium is