Abstract: Objective To detect the level of nitric oxide (NO) and amino acids in cerebrospinal fluid and serum of epilepsy children in different time. Methods The level of NO and amino acids in cerebrospinal fluid and serum of epilepsy children in different time were determined with nitrate reductase and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorimetric detection. Results The level of NO2 - increased 30 min, 60 min, 120 min after seizures (P<0.01), but dropped to normal 180 min after seizures (P>0.05). The level of glutamate (Glu) significantly increased in all epilepsy groups (P<0.05). The level of glycine (Gly) dropped gradually in all epilepsy groups (P<0.05).Conclusion NO may participate in the generation of seizures and the injury process to brain. The imbalance between excitatory and inhibitory amino acids may play an important role in the pathogenesis of epilepsy. The toxicity of excitatory amino acids may be the main injury to the brain.

Key words: epilepsy, nitric oxide, glutamate, glycine