P11 cells, derived from the transplantahle rat pituitary tumor 7315a, have been used previously ias a model system to study the regulation of serotonin2A (5-HT2A) receptor expression. As our laboratory has been interested in characterizing the interactions between the 5-HT2A receptor and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), we have analyzed the Pl I cell line for iNOS expression. Treatment of P ll cells with interferon-gamma and lipopolysaccharide resulted in a 23-fold increase in nitrite production and induced expression of iNOS protein. The increase in nitrite levels was attenuated by the non-selective nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor N i-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester, hut not the neuronal NOS inhibitor 7-nitroindazole. Typically, Pl 11 cells have been grown in either charcoal-stripped or dialyzed serum-containing medium. We have observed that Pl 1 cells grown under these culture conditions express basal iNOS activity, as evidenced by a 5-fold increase in nitrite accumulation over a 48-hr period, compared with that in cells grown in non-modified serum, which was inhibited by the selective iNOS inhibitor L.N6-(1-iminoethyl)-lysine. Conditioned medium from Pll cells was ahle to stimulate nitrite accumulation in C6 glioma cells, suggesting that the Pl I cells may produce a pro-inflammatory-like factor. As pro-inflammatory cytokines have been shown to modify hormone secretion from the anterior pituitary, the P11 cell line may be a useful in vitro model by which to characterize the function of cells from this organ. In addition, our data suggest that alteration of the microenvironment of the anterior pituitary may result in iNOS expression, possibly altering the function of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.