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The effect of undernutrition on the development of myelin in the rat central nervous system
Author(s) -
Fishman Marvin A.,
Madyastha Prema,
Prensky Arthur L.
Publication year - 1971
Publication title -
lipids
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.601
H-Index - 120
eISSN - 1558-9307
pISSN - 0024-4201
DOI - 10.1007/bf02531229
Subject(s) - myelin , central nervous system , neurochemistry , malnutrition , nervous system , clinical chemistry , medicine , nervous tissue , endocrinology , plasmalogen , chemistry , lipidology , biochemistry , membrane , biology , neurology , neuroscience , phospholipid
Newborn rats were segregated into litters of 6 and 22 pups. Undernourished groups were maintained for 21 and 53 days at which time a portion of each group was sacrificed and the remainder refed until 121 days. The amount of myelin isolated from the central nervous system was decreased in nutritionally deprived animals but there was little change in its chemical composition or intereference in the normal chemical maturation of the membrane. The only consistent change was a reduction in phosphatidyl ethanolamine plasmalogen. This deficit tended to be corrected by nutritional rehabilitation and was most complete in those animals refed ad lib. diets for the longest time periods prior to sacrifice. The relatively normal chemical composition of myelin obtained from undernourished animals differs from changes described in myelin membranes isolated from patients with destructive or degenerative diseases of the nervous system. This seems to be further evidence that the reduction in myelination in undernutrition is a result of decreased synthesis of the membrane.