Because leptin stimulates nitric oxide (NO) release from the hypothalamus and anterior pituitary gland, we hypothesized that it also might release NO from adipocytes, the principal source of leptin. Consequently, plasma concentrations of leptin and NO, estimated from its metabolites NO3 and NO2 (NO3-NO2), were measured in adult male rats. There was a linear increase of both leptin and NO3-NO2 with body weight that was associated with a parallel rise in fat mass. These findings indicate that release of leptin and NO is directly related to adipocyte mass. Furthermore, there was a parallelism in circadian rhythm of both substances, with peaks at 0130 h and nadirs at 0730 h. Measurement of both leptin and NO3-NO2 in plasma from individual rats revealed that NO3-NO2 increased linearly with leptin. Incubation of epididymal fat pads with leptin or its i.v. injection in conscious rats increased NO3-NO2 release. The release of NO3-NO2 in vivo and in vitro exceeded that of leptin by many fold, indicating that leptin activates NO synthase. Leptin increased tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-␣ release at a 100-fold lower dose than required for NO release in vitro and in vivo, suggesting that it also may participate in leptin-induced NO release. However, because many molecules of leptin were required to release a molecule of TNF-␣ in vivo and in vitro, we believe that leptininduced TNF-␣ release is an associated phenomenon not involved in NO production. The results support the hypothesis that adipocytes play a major role in NO release by activating NO synthase in the adipocytes and the adjacent capillary endothelium.TNF-␣ ͉ ketamine ͉ epididymal fat pad ͉ nitrate and nitrite O ur previous studies have shown that leptin controls the release of nitric oxide (NO) by activating NO synthase (NOS), both in the basal hypothalamus and also in the anterior pituitary gland (1, 2). Although leptin has been localized to the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus, in the very region where it controls NO release (3), the major storehouse of leptin is in the adipocytes (4). Therefore, it occurred to us that leptin released from the adipocytes might also activate NOS and cause release of NO. † It has been shown that endothelial (e) NOS is present on the cell membrane of adipocytes (5), that leptin receptors are on their cell surface (4), and that they contain a significant storehouse of leptin in small pinocytotic vesicles beneath the cell membrane (4). We hypothesized that leptin is extruded by exocytosis from these vesicles and acts on its receptors on the surface of the adipocytes and on adjacent capillary endothelial cells to activate eNOS. The activation of eNOS increases NO that is released into the interstitial fluid and diffuses into the capillaries, adjacent arterioles and venules. The released NO would diffuse into the smooth muscle of these small vessels and activate guanylyl cyclase causing generation of cyclic GMP (cGMP) from GTP. cGMP acts by protein kinase G to relax vascular smooth muscle (6). Thus, if leptin releases NO as hypothesized, it ...