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Biomedical subjects

A Livingston

Publications and source records attributed to A Livingston.

116 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

Acetylcholine and related enzymes in the neural lobe and anterior hypothalamus of the rabbit.

1. Acetylcholine (ACh), cholinesterases and choline acetyltransferase (choline acetylase) were estimated in the neural lobe and hypothalamus of the adult male rabbit. Acetylcholine was also estimated in the neural lobes and hypothalami of some other mammals.2. Acetylcholine-like activity was measured by bio-assay using the leech dorsal muscle preparation.3. Characterization experiments indicated that about 90% of the activity measured was due to acetylcholine.4. Mean acetylcholine content in the neural lobe of the rabbit, after extraction with perchloric acid, was 4.38 +/- 0.98 mug/g fresh tissue, and 4.87 +/- 1.53 mug/g in the hypothalamus.5. Acetylcholine was also found to be present, in comparable concentrations, in the neural lobe of man and in the neural lobes and hypothalami of ox, rat and hedgehog.6. Acetylcholinesterase, present in the neural lobe and hypothalamus of the rabbit, hydrolysed 1.74 +/- 0.11 mu-moles of substrate/min/g and 3.78 +/- 0.60 mu-moles substrate/min/g fresh tissue respectively.7. The concentration of butyrylcholinesterase was about one tenth that of acetylcholinesterase in both tissues.8. Choline acetyltransferase present in the neural lobe and in the hypothalamus synthesized 87 +/- 22 mug ACh/hr/g fresh tissue and 378 +/- 149 mug respectively.

Acetylcholine↗

The localization over time of exogenous aldosterone and angiotensin II in various organs.

Central nervous system effects have been demonstrated for angiotensin II and suggested for aldosterone. In order to determine whether either of these chemicals naturally crosses the blood-brain barrier, radioactive aldosterone and angiotensin II were introduced via intracardiac injections in rats. Samples of blood, liver, kidney, adrenals, cerebral cortex, and hypothalamus were collected at three, 15, and 60 minutes, frozen, dissolved, and counted. Blood levels for aldosterone and angiotensin II remained constant over 60 minutes. Aldosterone accumulated in the liver, kidney, adrenals and hypothalamus three minutes after injection, and levels diminished over time. Angiotensin II levels peaked in the adrenal, kidney, and liver after three minutes, and in the hypothalamus after 15 minutes. Cerebral cortex levels were lower than hypothalamic levels by 30% for aldosterone and 50% for angiotensin II. This suggests that both drugs may enter the central nervous system and selectively accumulate in the hypothalamus.

Adrenal Glands↗