| Abstract: | Abstract— Rats were given an intravenous injection of 100 μCi of l –3H]tryptophan and were killed between 5 and 180 min post–injection. Brains were dissected into seven areas, and specific activities were determined for major components (tryptophan, 5–hydroxytryptophan. serotonin and 5–hydroxy–indoleacetic acid) and detectable minor components (tryptamine, 5–methoxytryptamine. 5–hydroxyindo–lepyruvic acid, and 5–hydroxytryptophol) of serotonergic metabolism. The minor components represented small amounts of the total radioactivity with respect to the four major components. Anomalies in the product–precursor relationships for 5–hydroxytryptophan and serotonin, as well as for serotonin and 5–hydroxyindoleactic acid, suggest intraneuronal compartmentation of serotonin. |
