Abnormal expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase in Duchenne muscular dystrophy muscles

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a fatal genetic disease for the youth and children. 8 biopsies of DMD patients were determined and demonstrated that the membrane_binding nitric oxide synthase was enriched in normal skeletal muscles and was little in DMD muscles. The results from Western blot and immunohistochemistry showed that inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) was overexpressed in DMD muscle fibers, while a small amount of highly localized iNOS can be found in normal fibers. Based on these findings, it is proposed that the mechanism of progressive injury in DMD muscle might be associated with the abnormal expression of iNOS.