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EFFECT OF TETANUS TOXIN ON THE CONTENT OF GLYCINE, GAMMA‐AMINOBUTYRIC ACID, GLUTAMATE, GLUTAMINE AND ASPARTATE IN THE RAT SPINAL CORD 1 2
Author(s) -
Fedinec A. A.,
Shank R. P.
Publication year - 1971
Publication title -
journal of neurochemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.75
H-Index - 229
eISSN - 1471-4159
pISSN - 0022-3042
DOI - 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1971.tb05081.x
Subject(s) - spinal cord , glutamine , glycine , glutamate receptor , toxin , inhibitory postsynaptic potential , amino acid , gamma aminobutyric acid , neurotransmitter , aminobutyric acid , chemistry , biochemistry , anesthesia , medicine , central nervous system , endocrinology , biology , neuroscience , receptor
Tetanus toxin injected intramuscularly induced no significant changes in the levels of glycine, GABA, glutamate, glutamine or aspartate in extracts of spinal cord from rats killed at timed intervals during the development of local and generalized tetanus. The amino acid contents in the hemisegment (longitudinal one‐half) of the spinal cord (L 2 ‐L 6 ) on the injected side (left gastrocnemius muscle) did not differ significantly from the contents in the hemisegment of the spinal cord on the non‐injected side. Nor were there any consistent changes in the contents of the amino acids in either hemisegment of the spinal cord as the tetanic symptoms became progressively more severe. Hence, the amino acid pool in the spinal cord was relatively stable despite the metabolic changes known to occur in tetanus. Our observations are consistent with the view of J ohnston , D e G roat and CURTIS (1969) who suggested that if glycine were indeed a spinal inhibitory neurotransmitter released by interneurons affected by tetanus toxin, the toxin should interfere with the release of the amino acid rather than deplete the transmitter stores.