Mechanisms for the elimination of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid from brain and cerebrospinal fluid of the rat during postnatal development

Study of tryptophan metabolism via serotonin in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with noncommunicating hydrocephalus using a new endoscopic technique

By a recent minimally invasive neuroendoscopic technique, the cerebral ventricles have been reached in a quick, reliable, and harmless way, making possible the study of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of the lateral ventricles and, above all, the CSF adjacent to the walls of the third ventricle. Tryptophan, 5-hydroxytryptophan, serotonin (5-HT), and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) were measured in CSF by HPLC equipment. Twenty-six patients affected with noncommunicating hydrocephalus were enrolled in the study and, as controls, 28 subjects not suffering from any neurological disease. The concentrations of tryptophan were higher in right ventricular CSF than in lumbar CSF (P < 0.01). 5-HT was detectable in the CSF of the right ventricle of hydrocephalic patients. 5-HIAA was higher in right ventricular CSF than in cisternal and lumbar CSF (P < 0.01), both in controls and in hydrocephalic patients. However, there was a higher concentration of 5-HIAA in right ventricular (P < 0.05) and cisternal (P < 0.01) CSF in hydrocephalic patients in comparison with controls. In the CSF samples withdrawn during neuroendoscopy, 5-HT presented the highest concentrations in the pineal recess. The highest amounts of 5-HIAA were found in the choroid plexus, third and right ventricles, pituitary recess, and aqueduct, and the lowest in pineal recess, subarachnoid space, infundibulum, and interpeduncolar cistern. These results provide new insight into the fate of tryptophan and its metabolites via serotonin in the CSF and suggest the feasibility of the new neuroendoscopic technique for brain metabolic studies.

Effects of insulin on brain monoamine metabolism in the Zucker rat: influence of genotype and age

Disturbances of insulin or brain monoamine metabolism may play a role in the impaired regulation of food intake and body weight in the obese Zucker rat. We investigated a possible insulin-monoamine interaction by measuring monoamine levels in the hypothalamus and striatum of obese (fa-fa) and lean (Fa-Fa and Fa-fa) Zucker rats after peripheral insulin administration. The classically reported effects of insulin, i.e., increases in tryptophan, 5-hydroxy-indolacetic acid (5-HIAA) and dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) levels, were observed in the hypothalamus of Fa-Fa and Fa-fa rats, but not in obese fa-fa rats. Given the mechanism of action of insulin, this lack of effect in the obese rats may be related to the peripheral insulin resistance they exhibit. Furthermore, given the role of these monoaminergic systems, this reduced effect may be related to the impaired regulation of food intake and body weight. At 8 wk of age, however, insulin restored the decreased basal 5-HIAA levels observed in the obese rats. Increase in 5-HIAA levels following insulin administration appeared in the striatum of Fa-Fa rats only, suggesting that, as for brain insulin content, other central insulin-related disturbances may be related to the presence of the "fa" gene. In addition, certain effects of insulin on striatal dopamine release were observed in only the Fa-Fa and fa-fa rats, suggesting a particular disturbance related to the heterozygous character. This latter point calls for further investigations on the central dopaminergic effects of insulin.

Injection of 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine into the B3 raphe region of neonatal rat pups induces hyperalgesia but only slight alterations in ingestion-related behaviors

The effects of intrabrainstem injections of the neurotoxin 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine (5,7-DHT) into the B3 raphe region (nucleus raphe magnus and nucleus reticularis paragigantocellularis) on early ingestive behavior and nociception were assessed in Sprague-Dawley rat pups during the first postnatal week. Lesions resulted in a marked depletion of serotonin (5HT) in hindbrain without influencing 5HT levels in forebrain. Pretreatment with desipramine (DMI) resulted in a sparing of noradrenergic neurons from neurotoxic effects. The B3 lesion resulted in significant hyperalgesia as reflected by decreased latencies in tail flick testing. Although nipple attachment latencies in suckling tests were slightly increased by the lesion, no notable effects on mouthing or other ingestive-related behaviors were observed in testing conducted in an independent ingestion paradigm. These results suggest that whereas B3 serotonergic neurons may be functioning in an adult-typical manner to regulate analgesia during the early postnatal period, this raphe region may play only a slight role in the modulation of ingestion-related behaviors early in life.

Neonatal hypothyroidism induces striatal dopaminergic dysfunction

Oral administration of the antithyroid drug methimazole (50 mg/kg per day) to rats during the last six days of pregnancy, and subsequent daily s.c. injection of methimazole (20-30 mg/kg) to their pups from birth to postnatal day 30 provoked hormonal and somatic alterations resembling (with all caution to any association between rodent and human data) those of congenital hypothyroidism. The steady-state concentrations of striatal dopamine were similar in hypothyroid and euthyroid, 32-day-old rats, while the levels of the dopamine metabolites 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic and homovanillic acids were markedly decreased in hypothyroidism. The results of this and our earlier study [Vaccari A. and Gessa G. L. (1989) Neurochem. Res. 14, 949-955] show that the maximal synaptosomal uptake of [3H]dopamine, an index for the density of nigrostriatal dopaminergic terminals, and the maximum number of membrane [3H]tyramine binding sites, reflecting the concentration of the vesicular transporter for dopamine, were decreased in the hypothyroid striatum. There was also a loss of those D1-type dopaminergic receptors claimed to be located on neurons intrinsic to the striatum, and, consequently, dopamine-stimulated, D1-regulated adenylate cyclase activity was depressed. It is suggested that individual dopaminergic nerve endings in the neonatal hypothyroid striatum must contain more dopamine, owing to some loss of pertinent innervation and, therefore, to the presence of less vesicular transport sites for dopamine. Hypothyroidism-related decreases in the maximum number of striatal D1- and, reportedly, D2-receptors, plus the impairment of D1-coupled second messenger activity, may play a role in the derangement of those neurobehavioural patterns where a dopaminergic regulation is putatively implied.

Early postnatal development of transport functions in the rabbit choroid plexus

The development of transport functions in the rabbit choroid plexus was followed postnatally up to 2 months after birth. The activity of ouabain-sensitive Na+, K+-ATPase in newborn rabbit choroid plexus composes about one-fourth (lateral and third ventricle) to one-half (fourth ventricle) of the activity in the adult animal, and it increases markedly within the first 3 weeks of early life. A similar profile of postnatal changes is observed for the capacity to take up and accumulate the organic base choline, which is about three to five times higher for the adult rabbit than for the newborn animal. This coincides with the maturation of the epithelial cells as well as with the development of the sympathetic nerve supply in the choroid plexus. The results suggest that energy-dependent translocation systems influenced by local sympathetic nerves in the choroid plexus, at the interface between blood and CSF, have a functional role shortly after birth.

Dopamine and serotonin metabolism in striatum and in the septohippocampal pathway of the Snell dwarf mouse

Dopamine and serotonin neurotransmission has been investigated in striatum and in the septohippocampal pathway of the locomotor activity and memory deficient Snell dwarf mouse. In striatum a sharp decrease in 3-MT levels with a concomitant decrease in DA turnover is indicative of a strong decrement in the functional activity of striatal dopaminergic terminals in the mutant mouse. The observed enhancement in serotoninergic markers (5HT, 5HIAA, 5 HTP), at the opposite, provide evidence for an altered relationship between serotonin and dopamine striatal neurotransmission in the mutant mouse as compared to the normal mouse. Impairment in dopamine and serotonin neurotransmission has also been observed in the septohippocampal pathway where the removal of acidic metabolites of these neurotransmitters from brain appears to be disturbed. The data presented here are discussed with regard to previously noted alterations in cholinergic activity as well as to the behavioral disturbances of the dwarf mutant.

Concentrations of homovanillic acid and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid in cerebrospinal fluid from human infants in the perinatal period

To assess maturation of central serotonin and catecholamine pathways at birth, we measured lumbar CSF homovanillic acid (HVA) and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), stable acid metabolites of dopamine and serotonin, using HPLC with electrochemical detection. CSFs from 57 neonates (38 premature and 19 at term) and 13 infants 1-6 months old were studied. HVA levels increased with maturity (p less than 0.05; ANOVA), whereas 5-HIAA levels were similar in all these subjects. HVA/5-HIAA ratios increased markedly from 1 +/- 0.12 in the most premature neonates to 1.98 +/- 0.17 in the older infants (p less than 0.01; t test). There were no sex differences for these values.

Effect of neonatal hypothyroidism on the serotonin system of the rat brain

The effects of neonatal thyroidectomy and thyroid hormone replacement therapy on the development of serotonin-containing neurons in discrete rat brain nuclei were studied. Newborn male rats were rendered hypothyroid by the injection of 125 mu Ci 131I, and, after 45 days, were compared with normal littermate controls and 131I-injected animals subsequently maintained by daily T4 injections. The serotonin (5-HT) and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) contents of discrete brain nuclei removed by punches of frozen brain slices were measured by HPLC with electrochemical detection. 5-HT and 5-HIAA contents were significantly increased in many nuclei of the hypothyroid rat brain. By blocking the biosynthesis of 5-HT with p-chlorophenylalanine we found that the activity of tryptophan hydroxylase is an important step in the stimulatory effect of hypothyroidism on the 5-HT and 5-HIAA contents. Furthermore, we demonstrated after blockage of monoamine oxidase activity with pargyline, a less pronounced decline of 5-HIAA in neonatal hypothyroid animals, thus causing a relative accumulation of this metabolite. These results demonstrate that there are important modifications of the 5-HT system in the brain of neonatal hypothyroid rats. This may have an important role in the development of hypothyroid-induced impairments of central nervous system function.

Effects of thyroid state on serotonin, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid and substance P contents in discrete brain nuclei of adult rats

The effects of chemical thyroidectomy produced by propylthiouracil treatment or hyperthyroidism produced by daily injections of thyroxine on the content of serotonin, its metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid and of substance P in discrete brain nuclei of adult rats have been studied. Brain nuclei were removed by punches of frozen brain slices. The serotonin and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid contents were measured by high performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection while substance P was assayed by radioimmunoassay. The serotonin level was significantly increased in 11 nuclei of the hypothyroid and in 12 nuclei of the hyperthyroid rats. The 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid levels were higher in 16 nuclei of the hypothyroid and 7 nuclei of the hyperthyroid animals. The state of the thyroid gland in adult rats also affected the substance P system but less consistently than the serotonin pathway. Thus, the substance P content in the brain of propylthiouracil-treated animals increased significantly in 4 nuclei while it decreased in the septum lateralis and the striae terminalis. Following the chronic thyroxine injections, the substance P level was increased in the nucleus caudatus putamen and the tractus diagonalis and was decreased in the area ventralis tegmenti. We previously reported that neonatal thyroidectomy caused a general increase of the substance P and serotonin contents in many brain nuclei of young rats. It appears that the effects of chemical thyroidectomy on mature and immature rat brain are different for the substance P system, suggesting that thyroxine plays an important role in the maturation of substance P-containing neurons.

Serotoninergic development in the postnatal rat brain

Various characteristics of the developing serotoninergic system in the brain of rats aged 1 to 28 days were studied biochemically. The levels of the precursor amino acid tryptophan showed a maximal increase in the blood, brain and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) during the 7th and 10th postnatal days. The development of tryptophan hydroxlyase activity measured in vivo by means of 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) accumulation after NSD 1015 was closely related to the 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) levels at the various ages. 5-HTP accumulation and 5-HT levels increased most markedly after the second postnatal week. 5-Hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) levels were found to increase rapidly in the brain but somewhat more slowly in the CSF during the second week of postnatal development. Regional studies of 5-HTP accumulation after NSD 1015, 5-HT and 5-HIAA levels indicated a caudal to rostral way of maturation. The disappearance of 5-HT was measured after inhibition of tryptophan hydroxylase with H 22/54. The half-life generally decreased in the various brain parts with advancing age, and in the younger animals the shortest half-life was found in the most caudal brain parts. At 28 days of age the half-life was similar in all brain parts studied. These results indicate the existence of an adult like nerve impulse flow in the 5-HT neurons in the brain stem region of the newborn rats. The results from this investigation clearly indicate that th maturation of the different biochemical parameters of the 5-HT pathways develop in a caudal to rostral direction. The study also supports the view that tryptophan hydroxylase may be the limiting step in the development of the serotoninergic system.

5-HIAA Levels in brain and cerebrospinal fluid of the neonatal rat during oxygen deprivation

Neonatal rats were exposed to a moderate asphyxia (6% O2-94% N2 for 30 min). During asphyxia, whole brain 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) levels were reduced by approximately 25%. In the recovery period, a rebound increase (60%) was found 2 h after asphyxia. Cerebrospinal fluid 5-HIAA levels did not change during or after oxygen deficiency.

The effect of thyroid hormone on serotonergic neurones: depletion of serotonin in discrete brain areas of developing hypothyroid rats

A single intraperitoneal injection of 131I in a dose of 200muCi in 1-day-old rats induced hypothyroidism and decreased the activity of tryptophan hydroxylase in mid-brain region. The levels of 5-hydroxytryptamine also were reduced in cerebellum, mid-brain and striatum by 22%, 29% and 31%, respectively. By contrast, the levels of its metabolite, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid, were significantly increased in cerebellum, mid-brain and striatal region. To ascertain whether changes induced by neonatal radiothyroidectomy were specific, the effect of replacement thyroid hormone therapy was studied on 5-hydroxytryptamine metabolism. Daily administration of L-triiodothyronine (10 microgram/100g s.c.) for 25 days beginning from five days after radio-iodine treatment enhanced tryptophan hydroxylase activity, tryptophan and 5-hydroxytryptamine levels to values seen in normal rats of the corresponding age group. The concentration of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid decreased following L-triiodothyronine treatment. Furthermore, when replacement therapy with L-triiodothyronine was postponed until adulthood, no significant effects could be seen on various parameters related to 5-hydroxytryptamine metabolism. Our data demonstrate that deficiency of thyroid hormone in early life disrupts the normal upsurge of 5-hydroxytryptamine metabolism in brain. A critical period exists in early life of rats during which thyroid hormone must be present for the optimal development of 5-hydroxytryptamine metabolizing systems in maturing brain.

Developmental studies of the compartmentalization of water and electrolytes in the choroid plexus of the neonatal rat brain

Rats of various postnatal ages were utilized to study developmental changes in the distribution of Na, K and H2O between the various compartments of the lateral ventricular plexus (LVP). During the 3 weeks after birth, as the LVP grows from 0.5 to 0.8 mg, there is a significant increase in plexus K which is accompanied by a progressive decrease in Na and H2O. Also, during this postnatal period the decrease in [3h]inulin space in the plexus is proportional to the decrease in the Na space. Between 3 weeks and adulthood, the [3h]inulin and Na spaces are both augmented to a similar extent; moreover, during this same period of development there is a trebling of the residual [51cr]erythrocyte volume. Despite the substantial changes in the volume of the extracellular fluid and of the residual blood in the plexus with age, the calculated concentrations (mEquiv./kg H2O) of choroid cell Na (30-35) and K (145-155) are similar for all ages investigated. The derived data for cellular ionic concentration, together with the analysis of the ionic concentration gradients (cerebrospinal fluid/plasma H2O), suggest that the transport mechanism which translocates Na and K across the choroidal membrane is operative as early as 3-4 days postnatal. The important role of the choroid plexus in central nervous system homeostasis is discussed in relation to the developing brain.