PMID: 7542313Aug 1, 1995Paper

Increased nitric oxide synthase activities and L-[3H]arginine uptake in brain following portacaval anastomosis

Journal of Neurochemistry
V L RaoR F Butterworth

Abstract

Glutamatergic synaptic dysfunction has been proposed as a causal factor in portal-systemic encephalopathy. Increased in vitro and in vivo glutamate release and decreased glutamate binding to NMDA receptors were previously reported in the brains of portacaval-shunted rats. Such changes could lead to alterations in the second messenger systems coupled to glutamate receptors. As NMDA receptors have been shown to act via the nitric oxide/cyclic GMP second messenger system, we studied the activities of constitutive nitric oxide synthase (NOS) in the brains of rats following portacaval shunting. Results demonstrate that NOS activities are significantly increased in cerebellum (by 54%, p < 0.01), cerebral cortex (by 65%, p < 0.01), hippocampus (by 88%, p < 0.01), and striatum (by 64%, p < 0.01) of shunted rats compared with sham-operated controls. As L-arginine transport is a prerequisite for nitric oxide production, we also studied L-[3H]arginine transport into cerebellar and cerebral cortical synaptosomes prepared from the brains of portacaval-shunted and sham-operated rats. L-[3H]Arginine uptake was significantly increased (by approximately 50%, p < 0.01) in both cerebellum and cortex. Increased NOS activities of neuronal and/or as...Continue Reading

Citations

Jun 1, 1996·Metabolic Brain Disease·R F Butterworth
Sep 14, 2007·Metabolic Brain Disease·Roger F Butterworth

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