This study was carried out to investigate if nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitors modulate airway inflammation induced by diesel exhaust particles (DEP). N$^$G/-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), a potent constitutive NOS (cNOS) inhibitor, and aminoguanidine (AG), a selective inducible NOS (iNOS) inhibitor, were administered to mice in their drinking water for 7 weeks. Airway inflammation was elicited by the repeated intratracheal administration of DEP. The results showed that macrophages, inflammatory eosinophils and neutrophils in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluids by intratracheal DEP instillation were significantly suppressed in the mice treated with two NOS inhibitors toghther with DEP. The suppression of these cells was more effective in AG treated groups than in L -NAME treated groups. NOS inhibitor treatment also reduced interleukin -5 (IL-5 in the BAL fluids and lung homogenates. Additionally, it was found that eosinophil peroxidase (EPO) activity in the BAL fluids was also decreased by NOS inhibitor treatment. These results suggest that nitric oxide (NO) is produced in airway inflammation by repeated DEP instillation, and that iNOS inhibition as well as cNOS inhibition can play a modulating role in this airway inflammation by DEP.