UPTAKE OF [3H]-COLCHICINE INTO BRAIN AND LIVER OF MOUSE, RAT, AND CHICK

Journal Article · Tue Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1980 · Journal of Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior

OSTI ID:1000038

Bennett, Edward L; Alberti, Marie Hebert; Flood, James F

The uptake of [ring A-4-{sup 3}H] colchicine and [ring C-methoxy-{sup 3}H]colchicine has been compared in mice from 1 to 24 hr after administration. Less radioactivity was found in brain after administration of ring-labeled colchicine than after administration of the methoxy-labeled colchicine. Three hr after administration of ring-labeled colchicine, 5% of the label was in liver and about 0.01% of the label was present in brain. Forty percent of the brain radioactivity was bound to tubulin as determined by vinblastine precipitation. After 3 hr, an average of 8% of the radioactivity from methoxy-labeled colchicine was found in the liver and 0.16% in brain. However, less than 5% of the activity in brain was precipitated by vinblastine, and the colchicine equivalent was comparable to that found after administration of the ring-labeled colchicine. The amount of colchicine entering mouse brain after subcutaneous injection is comparable to the minimum behaviorally effective dose when administered to the caudate. The metabolism of [ring C-methoxy-{sup 3}H] and [ring A-{sup 3}H]colchicine was also studied in rats. the general pattern was similar to mice; less radioactivity was found in brain after administration of the ring-labeled alkoloid than after administration of methoxy-labeled colchicine. Again, 40-50% of ring-labeled colchicine was precipitated by vinblastine. A much smaller percentage of the methoxy-labeled drug was precipitated by vinblastine than of the ring A-labeled colchicine. These experiments, together with behavioral experiments [7], support the hypotheses that structural alteration in synapses by recently synthesized proteins which are transported down the axons and dendrites may be an essential process for long-term memory formation.

• Research Organization: Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA (US)
• Sponsoring Organization: Life Sciences Division
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-05CH11231
• OSTI ID: 1000038
• Report Number(s): LBL-11224
• Journal Information: Journal of Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior, Journal Name: Journal of Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior Journal Issue: 6 Vol. 14
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS
BRAIN
COLCHICINE
DENDRITES
LIVER
METABOLISM
MICE
PRECIPITATION
PROTEINS
RADIOACTIVITY
SUBCUTANEOUS INJECTION
VINBLASTINE