EFFECTS OF LEUCINE ON BRAIN SEROTONIN |
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Authors: | P. S. V. Ramanamurthy S. G. Srikantia |
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Affiliation: | Nutrition Research Laboratories, Indian Council of Medical Research Tarnaka, Hyderabad-7, India |
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Abstract: | Abstract— The effect of excess leucine in the diet on serotonin metabolism in the brain was investigated in experimental animals. It was found that: (1) Animals receiving diets containing 3 % and 8 % leucine and those receiving jowar diets had significantly lower levels of serotonin in the brain. (2) Intraperitoneal administration of the precursor amino acid 5-HTP increased the serotonin concentration in brain in both control and leucine-fed animals. However, the serotonin concentration in leucine-fed animals was significantly lower than that of pairfed controls. Larger amounts of the synthesized serotonin were found to be catabolized in 3 hr in leucine-fed animals than in control animals. (3) The in vitro uptake of [14C]5-HTP by brain slices of animals fed leucine was found to be similar to that of control animals. (4) The basal concentration of 5-HIAA in brain was higher in leucine-fed animals, suggesting a higher rate of catabolism of serotonin. (5) Administration of nicotinic acid resulted in a further fall of serotonin concentration in the brains of leucine-fed animals but not in control animals. |
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