Temporal Distribution of [3H]-Imipramine Binding in Rat Brain Regions is Not Changed by Chronic Methamphetamine

Specific binding of [³H]-imipramine in the rat suprachiasmatic nuclei, occipital cortex and caudate putamen underwent significant and replicable changes throughout 24 hr under a light-dark cycle or under constant conditions. Daily variations were also found in the medial and dorsal raphe nuclei and the lateral hypothalamus. Methamphetamine, a psychoactive drug with marked effect on circadian rhythms in physiological and hormonal parameters and adrenergic receptors, did not have any significant effect on imipramine binding rhythms in eight discrete brain regions. Thus a drug known to reduce serotoninergic neurotransmission did not change characteristics of the modulatory binding site related to serotonin uptake.     

Cerebral Blood Flow and Oxidative Metabolism in Conscious Fischer-344 Rats of Different Ages

Abstract: The cerebral metabolic rates for O₂ and for glucose were measured in conscious, fasted male Fischer-344 rats at the ages of 3, 12, and 24 months, and cerebral blood flow was determined with ¹⁴C-iodoantipyrine. The metabolic rates for oxygen and glucose were obtained by multiplying blood flow by the O₂ and glucose concentration differences, respectively, between blood in the femoral artery and in the superior sagittal sinus. Mean cerebral blood flow and the metabolic rates for oxygen and glucose did not differ significantly (p > 0.05) between 3 and 12 or between 12 and 24 months. Nor did the arteriovenous differences for O₂ and for glucose change significantly with age. Because the superior sagittal sinus drains blood mainly from the cerebral cortex, the results indicate that average cerebral cortical oxidative metabolism, and the coupling ratios between the cerebral metabolic rate for oxygen and cerebral blood flow and between the cerebral metabolic rate for glucose and cerebral blood flow, do not change significantly with age in the Fischer-344 rat.     

Depolarization-evoked release of gamma-hydroxybutyrate from rat brain slices

The release of gamma-hydroxybutyrate from preloaded rat brain striatal slices was investigated. K+-induced depolarization caused an efflux of gamma-hydroxybutyrate of about 50 fmol min-1 mg-1 (wet weight), but in a Ca2+-free medium containing Mg2+, the evoked release was reduced by 50-60%. The release was higher when 100 microM veratridine was used as a depolarizing agent. The efflux of gamma-hydroxybutyrate is related to veratridine and K+ concentration, and is strongly inhibited by 10 microM tetrodotoxin. The Ca2+ channel blocker verapamil induces a large decrease in the efflux of gamma-hydroxybutyrate after both K+- and veratridine-induced depolarization. These results are in favour of a possible transmitter function for gamma-hydroxybutyrate in rat striatum.     

Effects of prostaglandin E2 and D2 on gastric somatostatin and gastrin secretion

The effects of PGE2 and PGD2 on gastric somatostatin and gastrin releases were investigated using the isolated perfused rat stomach. In the presence of 5.5 mM glucose, the infusion of PGE2 elicited a significant augmentation in somatostatin release, but suppressed gastrin secretion from the perfusate. On the other hand, PGD2 did not affect somatostatin release, although the gastrin secretion decreased significantly, the same as after PGE2 infusion. These results suggest that PGE2 and PGD2 may be important in the regulation of gastric endocrine function, but that PGD2 does not affect gastric somatostatin secretion.     

Metabolism of parenterally administered zinc and cadmium in livers of newborn rats

The interaction of injected zinc and cadmium with metallothionein was investigated in newborn rats. Tissues of 5-day-old rats were removed 24 h after a single injection (Sc) of saline or zinc (20 mg/kg, body wt.) or cadmium (1 mg/kg, body wt.) with 2.5 μCi of ⁶⁵Zn or ¹⁰⁹Cd or 5 μCi of [³⁵S]cysteine. Injection of zinc resulted in a 75% increase in the hepatic zinc concentration with a concomitant elevation of metallothionein (P < 0.001), zinc in metallothionein increased by 45% (P < 0.05); [³⁵S]cysteine incorporation indicated the induced synthesis of metallothionein. Injection of cadmium did not alter either metallothionein or zinc levels in liver, but cadmium in cytosol was preferentially bound to metallothionein. Neither treatment altered hepatic copper metabolism and copper in metallothionein, nor renal zinc and metallothionein levels. These data indicate that zinc injection can elevate hepatic zinc levels and induce metallothionein synthesis in newborn rats despite high basal levels; cadmium injection does not induce metallothionein synthesis, though cadmium is avidly sequestered by pre-existing metallothionein. The differences in the induction of metallothionein by these divalent cations can be explained by the differences in their binding affinities for thiol groups in intracellular metallothionein.     

An electron microscope autoradiographic study of DOC conversion to corticosterone in the rat adrenal cortex

Summary Seven thymuses from children between 1 and 12 years were examined by electron microscopy. Biopsies had been taken during surgical correction of congenital heart defects.In all cases we found interdigitating reticulum cells (IRC) in the medulla and inner cortex. These cells resembled the IRC which have been described previously in the thymus-dependent regions of the spleen and lymph node. They were characterized by an irregularly shaped nucleus, narrow cisterns of rough endoplasmic reticulum, and widespread interdigitation and invagination of the cell membrane. The surfaces of the IRC were in close contact with those of small lymphocytes, sometimes polysomal lymphatic cells, epithelial cells, and occasionally with those of lymphatic cells containing ergastoplasm.The IRC is apparently a specific cell of thymus-dependent regions. It may be that the IRC in the thymus, lymph node, and spleen contribute to the microenvironment needed for the differentiation of T-cells.Supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, SFB 111/CII and III.—We wish to thank Miss M. Neubert and Mrs. R. Köpke for their technical assistance and Mrs. M. Soehring for her help with the translation.     

On catecholamine-containing cells in the rat interatrial septum

Summary The interatrial septum of the rat heart contains cells which show a strong intensive-yellow paraformaldehyde-induced fluorescence. By electron microscopy these cells are characterized by an abundance of dense-core vesicles.Cholinergio axons form axo-somatic synaptic contacts with the catecholamine-containing cells. These cells, packed with dense-core vesicles, are frequently interdigitated and interconnected by zonulae and maculae adhaerentes and occludentes. The catecholamine-containing cells are surrounded by satellite cells either individually or in groups.The catecholamine-containing cells, which bear blunt, plumpish processes, can be subdivided, on the basis of position and morphology into two types. One class of cells lies within the fibroblast capsule of the intra-atrial ganglion (van der Zypen, Hasselhorst, Merz and Fillinger, 1974). A second aggregation of catecholamine-containing cells occurs outside the ganglia in close proximity to capillaries. The capillaries exhibit pores in the area of contact with the catecholaminergic cells. The structure of these catecholamine-containing cells is described and their possible function discussed.

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Zusammenfassung Im Septum interatriale des Rattenherzens treten Zellen in Erscheinung, die nach Paraformaldehyd-Bedampfung eine intensive hellgelbliche Fluoreszenz zeigen. Diese Zellen zeichnen sich durch einen großen Reichtum an dense-core vesicles aus. Cholinerge Axone bilden axo-somatische Synapsen an den katecholaminhaltigen Zellen aus. Die mit dense-core vesicles angefüllten Zellen sind oft ineinander verzahnt und durch Zonulae adhaerentes verbunden. Einzeln oder in Gruppen werden die katecholamin-enthaltenden Zellen von Satelliten-Zellen umgeben.Die mit kurzen plumpen Fortsätzen versehenen katecholaminhaltigen Zellen lassen aufgrund ihrer Lage und eines andersartigen Baues zwei Typen erkennen. Eine Gruppe von Zellen liegt innerhalb der Fibrozytenkapsel des Ganglion intraatriale (van der Zypen, Hasselhorst, Merz und Fillinger, 1974). Eine zweite Ansammlung von Katecholamin enthaltenden Zellen findet sich außerhalb der Ganglien in engem Kontakt zu Kapillaren. Die Kapillaren weisen im Bereich des Kontaktes mit den katecholaminergen Zellen Poren auf. Die Struktur dieser Zellen wird geschildert und ihre mögliche Funktion diskutiert.

     

The fine structure of the newborn rat adrenal cortex

Summary The structural changes of the zona juxtamedullaris of the rat adrenal cortex at birth, have been examined by the light and the electron microscope. In this zone clusters of medullary cells lying among the strands of cortical tissue were observed. In the inner portion of the zona juxtamedullaris two types of adrenocortical cells were found: light and very-dark cells. The latter are smaller than the light cells and are always in close connection with the medullary tissue. The ultrastructural features of the very-dark cells suggest that these elements are in degeneration. This finding supports the hypothesis that at birth there is a partial degeneration of the rat zona juxtamedullaris, i.e. the zone corresponding to the fetal zone of some mammalian species.It is proposed that in all mammalian species at birth there is a partial regression of the zona juxtamedullaris and that the regression of the fetal zone is only the quantitative increase of this phenomenon. This hypothesis is discussed in relation to numerous data demonstrating that there are enzymatic conditions in the rat during fetal life, which permit a discrete hypertrophy of the adrenal cortex.The author wishes to express his appreciation to Dr. A. Gambino and to Mr. G. Gottardo for technical assistance.     

Improved maintenance of adult rat hepatocytes in a new serum-free medium in the presence or absence of barbiturates

Summary For serum-free primary culture of adult rat hepatocytes, a synthetic medium DM-160 and rat-tail collagen were selected for the basal medium and for the culture substratum, respectively. Barbiturates, such as phenobarbital and 1-ethyl-5-isobutylbarbiturate, efficiently supported survival of hepatocytes and maintained their morphologic features at lower concentrations under the serum-free conditions than under the serum-supplemented conditions. However, the hepatocyte survival rates under the serum-free conditions were lower than those under the serum-supplemented conditions in the presence or absence of barbiturates. Supplementation of the basal medium with a combination of five groups of factors (5Fs), such as eight amino acids (Ala, Arg, Gly, Ile, Met, Phe, Pro, and Trp), two unsaturated fatty acids (linoleate and oleate), a protease inhibitor (aprotinin), three vitamins (A, C, and E), and five trace elements (Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, and Se), improved the hepatocyte survival under the serum-free conditions in the presence or absence of barbiturates. In other words, the serum could be completely substituted by the 5Fs. Hepatocyte cultures maintained in the 5Fs-suppelemented basal medium showed excellent induction of tyrosine aminotransferase activity in response to dexamethasone in the presence or absence of barbiturates. The efficiency of the 5Fs-supplemented basal medium for maintaining hepatocytes was not inferior to those of other media in common use with hepatocytes, such as Williams' medium E and Waymouth's medium MB-752/1. In conclusion, maintenance of functional hepatocytes in serum-free primary culture could be improved by use of the new medium preparation (the 5Fs-supplemented DM-160) in the presence of barbiturates. This work was supported by a grant no. 61771923 from the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture of Japan.