Uptake of (/sup 3/H)colchicine into brain and liver of mouse, rat, and chick

Journal Article · Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1981 · Pharmacol., Biochem. Behav.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/0091-3057(81)90375-0· OSTI ID:5441062

Bennett, E L ^[1]; Alberti, M H; Flood, J F

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1. Lawrence Berkeley Lab., CA

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 alkaloid 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, support the hypotheses that structural alterations in synapses by recently synthesized proteins which are transported down the axons and dendrites may be an essential process for long-term memory formation.

• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• OSTI ID: 5441062
• Journal Information: Pharmacol., Biochem. Behav.; (United States), Vol. 14:6, Issue 6
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
COLCHICINE
BIOCHEMICAL REACTION KINETICS
TISSUE DISTRIBUTION
BEHAVIOR
BRAIN
CHICKENS
LABELLED COMPOUNDS
LIVER
MICE
NERVE CELLS
RATS
TRACER TECHNIQUES
TRITIUM COMPOUNDS
ALKALOIDS
ANIMAL CELLS
ANIMALS
ANTIMITOTIC DRUGS
ANTIPYRETICS
BIRDS
BODY
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM DEPRESSANTS
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
DISTRIBUTION
DRUGS
FOWL
GLANDS
ISOTOPE APPLICATIONS
KINETICS
MAMMALS
NERVOUS SYSTEM
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANS
REACTION KINETICS
RODENTS
SOMATIC CELLS
VERTEBRATES
551001* - Physiological Systems- Tracer Techniques