Incorporation of [³H]thymidine into trichloroacetic acid (TCA)-insoluble material of the parotid and submandibular glands was used as an index of mitotic activity following unilateral electrical stimulation of the sympathetic innervation (20 Hz, 4 min every fifth minute over 34 min). Stimulation under β-adrenoceptor blockade (propranolol 2 mg/kg, intravenous) alone or combined with α-adrenoceptor blockade (phentolamine 2 mg/kg, intravenous) did not increase the rate of [³H]thymidine incorporation into the two types of glands. However, under α-adrenoceptor blockade the [³H]thymidine incorporation increased into the parotid glands, by 122% (compared to the glands on the contralateral side), but not into the submandibular glands. In the presence of the neuronal type NO-synthase (nNOS) blocker N-PLA (30 mg/kg, intravenous) or the unselective NO-synthase blocker L-NAME (30 mg/kg, intravenous), this increase was reduced to 49 and 47%, respectively. Thus, the major part of the sympathetically nerve-evoked β-adrenoceptor-mediated mitotic response was found to depend on the activity of neuronal type NO-synthase to generate NO. Since the sympathetic nerve fibres of the parotid gland lack NO-synthase, the neuronal type NO-synthase subjected to the inhibitors is likely to be of parenchymal origin. © 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.