Nitric oxide (NO) modulates the levels of various neurotransmitters in the CNS. Here we determined whether the specific nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor 7-nitroindazole (7-NI), the non-selective inhibitor of guanylate cyclase (GC) and NOS, methylene blue (MB), the NO-precursor L-arginine (L-Arg), and the selective soluble GC inhibitor 1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4,3-a]quinoxalin-1-one (ODQ) affect extracellular levels of serotonin (5-HT), dopamine (DA), 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), and homovanillic acid (HVA) in the rat ventral hippocampus by using microdialysis in freely moving animals. Local perfusion of 7-NI (1 mM) and MB (1 mM) significantly increased extracellular level of 5-HT, whereas DA was increased by 7-NI only. Systemic administration of 7-NI (50 mg kg(-1)) and MB (30 mg kg(-1)) increased the extracellular levels of 5-HT and DA. Extracellular levels of 5-HIAA was not influenced by local or systemic MB or 7-NI. In contrast, extracellular level of HVA was decreased by systemic MB and retrodialyzed MB, but was not influenced by 7-NI. Retrodialysis of L-Arg (2 mM) decreased the levels of 5-HT, DA, 5-HIAA and HVA in the hippocampus. Systemic administration of L-Arg (250 mg kg(-1)) decreased the level of 5-HT, but failed to influence DA, 5-HIAA and HVA. Local perfusion of ODQ (400 microM) did not affect 5-HT overflow in the hippocampus. We conclude that NOS inhibitors increased extracellular levels of 5-HT and DA in the rat ventral hippocampus after local or systemic administration, whereas the NO precursor L-Arg had the opposite effect. Thus, endogenous NO may exert a negative control over the levels of 5-HT and DA in the hippocampus. However, this effect is probably not mediated by cyclic GMP.