Inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) synthesis in mesenteric microvessels increases leukocyte rolling. The objective of this study was to determine whether inducible NO synthase (iNOS) can modulate tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha)-induced leukocyte rolling. Leukocyte rolling was examined using intravital microscopy of TNF-alpha-treated feline mesenteric microvasculature. Leukocyte rolling increased progressively over 3 h of TNF-alpha treatment. Pretreatment with the selective iNOS inhibitor aminoguanidine further doubled TNF-alpha-induced leukocyte rolling. Aminoguanidine alone did not affect baseline blood pressure or leukocyte kinetics. However, in the same animals NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester caused a rapid increase in blood pressure, confirming that constitutive NOS activity persisted in aminoguanidine-treated animals. Furthermore, aminoguanidine did not affect leukocyte rolling in an acute model of leukocyte recruitment (ischemia/reperfusion), suggesting that the exacerbated rolling induced by aminoguanidine with TNF-alpha as a stimulus was not a nonspecific effect. Addition of the NO donor spermine-NO had no effect on TNF-alpha-associated leukocyte rolling. These data raise the possibility of a physiological role for the increased production of NO from iNOS, i.e., regulation of leukocyte rolling and potentially the inflammatory response.