Transport and distribution of homocarnosine after intracerebroventricular and intravenous injection in the rat

• Published in: Neurochemical research Vol. 9; no. 5; pp. 637 - 648
• Main Authors: ZIESLER, Ø, HOLE, K, HAUGAN, I, BØRRESEN, A.-L, GJESSING, L. R, SJAASTAD, O
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Springer 01-05-1984
• Subjects: Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Biological Transport; Brain - metabolism; Carnosine - administration & dosage; Carnosine - analogs & derivatives; Carnosine - metabolism; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Dipeptides - metabolism; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid - metabolism; Injections, Intravenous; Injections, Intraventricular; Male; Metabolisms and neurohumoral controls; Nitrogen metabolism. Proteins. Glycoproteins. Nucleic acids. Collagen; Rats; Synaptosomes - metabolism; Tissue Distribution; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Rat; Rodentia; Central nervous system; Dipeptides; Brain (Vertebrata); Cerebral ventricle; Localization; Metabolism
• ISSN: 0364-3190; 1573-6903
• DOI: 10.1007/BF00964510

Rats were injected intracerebroventricularly (i.c.v.) or i.v. with [14C]homocarnosine (250 nmol). Distribution of the dipeptide in brain structures, transport from the brain to the blood, distribution in peripheral organs, and excretion in the urine were studied by measuring radioactivity in tissue, plasma, and urine samples by liquid scintillation counting 15-120 min after injection. After i.c.v. injection, [14C]homocarnosine was taken up into all parts of the brain investigated (highest uptake in structures close to the site of injection), it was transported to the blood, and radioactive substances were found in low concentration in muscle, spleen, and liver, in high concentration in the kidneys, and very high concentration in the urine. Investigations using high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) showed that no degradation took place in the brain, all radioactivity was found in the homocarnosine fraction. In the plasma 86% of the radioactivity was found in the GABA fraction presumed to be formed by cleavage of the peptide.