Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease caused by a protozoa of the genera Leishmania. Around 12million people are infected and 350 millions of people are risk to contract it. There is evidencethat infection by Leishmania amazonensisdecreases nitric oxide production; it has beeninterpreted that this impairment is induced by the parasite. This study confirmed this idea, butcontradicts that this impairment is exclusive of infection. In this work, cultured macrophageswere exposed to latex beads at diferents proportions, to simulate phagocitic loads andphagosome volumes resembling those of the infection. Nitrite concentration and morphologicalparameters were measured at 48 hours post phagocytosis and infection with 24 hours ofactivation induced by IFN-γand LPS. Our results determined that macrophages with similarvolume of phagosomes generated by latex beads or L. amazonensisamastigotes have the samedecrease in inducible NO production. This suggest that this partial inhibition does not depenton the nature of phagocited particle. Phagosome volume increase correlates with the decreasein inducible NO production. Therefore, phagosome expansion may be one of the mechanismimplicated in the disminution of inducible NO production. The results support the evidencethat Leishmaniareduces inducible NO production, but contradicts the common interpretationthat this fenomena is specific of infection.