Transport of amino acids in rat cerebral regions after experimental convulsions. II. In-vivo studies
Zanchin, G.; Dam, M.; Gabana, M.A.; Pizzolato, G.; Battistin, L.
Bollettino della Societa Italiana di Biologia Sperimentale 54(16): 1473-1477
1978
ISSN/ISBN: 0037-8771 PMID: 743450 Document Number: 134581
In this series of experiments, rats were i.p. injected with radioactive amino acids opposite to the side in which they received a convulsive dose of pentamethylene tetrazole [PTZ]; the controls also received the amino acids but were not convulsed. All the rats were sacrificed, the brain removed, separated into cortex, cerebellum, mesodiencephalon and pontobulbar portion, and each homogenized and radioactivity tested in a scintillation counter. In this case, portions of blood were also collected, heparinized and centrifuged for scintillation measurement. In these in vivo experiments, most amino acids showed no significant accumulations after the convulsive dose except for L-alanine which showed an increase close to 30% in all 4 regions. Glutamic acid showed little accumulation except in the diencephalon, but in the blood radioactivity from glutamic acid doubled compared with the control. In this case GABA showed almost no changes. Changes in brain amino acids following PTZ convulsions are probably due to phenomena occurring within the brain barrier rather than being caused by changes in cerebral permeability.