Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

R L Singhal

Publications and source records attributed to R L Singhal.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1977

Alterations in brain 5-hydroxytryptamine metabolism during the 'withdrawal' phase after chronic treatment with diazepam and bromazepam.

1 Daily administration of diazepam or bromazepam (10 mg/kg) for 22 days significantly increased the activity of mid-brain tryptophan hydroxylase by 36% and 39%, respectively. The concentration of tryptophan was also enhanced in the mid-brain region of rats subjected to benzodiazepine treatment.2 Chronic therapy with either of the two anti-anxiety agents enhanced the endogenous levels of 5-hydroxytryptamine and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid in cerebral cortex, hypothalamus, pons-medulla, mid-brain and striatum.3 Whereas diazepam treatment decreased (13%) the activity of monoamine oxidase in mid-brain, bromazepam failed to exert any effect, suggesting that the observed elevation in 5-hydroxy-indoleacetic acid levels is not associated with enhanced deamination of 5-hydroxytryptamine.4 Discontinuation of treatment for 48 h significantly decreased the activity of mid-brain tryptophan hydroxylase to levels that were significantly lower than those seen for benzodiazepine-treated and normal rats. The concentrations of mid-brain tryptophan and 5-hydroxytryptamine were also reduced in various brain regions examined.5 Withdrawal from diazepam or bromazepam therapy further augmented the levels of brain 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid.6 The results demonstrate that the depressant effects on behaviour of these agents are accompanied by increased metabolism of 5-hydroxytryptamine in the brain. Withdrawal from these minor tranquillizers, on the other hand, reduces the synthesis of this indoleamine.

Animals↗
PubMed1977

Lithium suppresses elevated behavioural activity and brain catecholamines in developing hyperthyroid rats.

Neonatal hyperthyroidism in rats induced by daily administration of L-triiodothyronine for 30 days since birth resulted in a significant rise in mobility and the metabolism of brain norepinephrine and dopamine. Whereas administration of lithium carbonate (60 mg/kg ip) to normal rats for 6 days produced no effect on spontaneous locomotor activity and increased the synthesis and possibly release of this monoamine in several brain regions, this antimanic drug antagonized the L-triiodothyronine-stimulated increases in mobility as well as norepinephrine and dopamine metabolism of hypothalamus, midbrain, striatum, and cerebral cortex. Furthermore, lithium treatment restored the activity of catechol-O-methyl transferase (EC 2.1.1.6) in young hyperthyroid rats to virtually normal limits. Our data suggest that antiphasic or damping effects of lithium upon mood swings is controlled, at least in part, by catecholaminergic systems in the brain. The interrelationship between brain catecholamines and thyroid hormones seems to be important to our understanding of the action of lithium in affective illness.

Animals↗
PubMed1977

Sequential changes in hepatic polyamine, deoxyribonucleic acid, and cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate metabolism after subacute exposure to cadmium in rats.

Heavy metal treatment (2 X 1 mg/kg per day) for 3, 5, and 7 days resulted in progressive augmentation in the incorporation of [14C]thymidine into hepatic DNA. In contrast with the observed enhancement in DNA synthesis, cadmium exposure tended to produce a decrease in the activity of hepatic ornithine decarboxylase (EC 4.1.1.17) at 1, 3, or 5 days with the lowest (34% of control values) enzymic activity seen after 7 days. A similar reduction in the activity of S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase (EC 4.1.1.50) was observed in livers of rats treated with cadmium for 1-7 days. Subacute exposure to cadmium significantly lowered the hepatic levels of spermidine and spermine whereas the endogenous concentrated of putrescine remained unaltered. In addition to the observed effects on the biosynthesis of polyamines and DNA, heavy metal treatment produced stimulation of the hepatic adenylate cyclase (EC 4.6.1.1)--cyclic AMP system. Significant increases in the activity of hepatic adenylate cyclase and endogenous cyclic AMP levels were detected as early as 1 day and the observed alterations persisted during the entire 1-week period of cadmium exposure. The depression in polyamine formation was accompanied by enhanced DNA biosynthesis as well as stimulation in the adenylate cyclase-cyclic AMP system of rat liver.

Adenosylmethionine Decarboxylase↗
PubMed1977

Myocardial lipid metabolism in cardiac hyper- and hypo-function. Studies on triiodothyronine-treated and transplanted rat hearts.

Lipid composition of the myocardium and in vitro lipid metabolism were studied in hearts from young rats after 30 days of treatment with triiodothyronine (100 microgram/kg per day) and in heterotopically isotransplanted hearts of inbred adult rats 6 days after surgery. The former served as an experimental model of cardiac hyperfunction, while the latter, empty beating hearts, served as a model of cardiac hypofunction. In hearts from hyperthyroid animals the concentration of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, cardiolipin, and the incorporation of 14C-labelled palmitic and erucic acid into these phospholipids were increased significantly as compared with controls. In contrast, the triglyceride concentration and the incorporation of palmitate into triglyceride was significantly decreased. In transplanted hearts, the phospholipid concentration and the incorporation of 14C-labelled fatty acids into phospholipids were significantly decreased as compared with the hearts of the inbred host rats of the same age. The results indicate that the mechanical performance of the heart affects the phospholipid composition, which may be a reflection of increased or decreased proliferation of subcellular membranes in sustained cardiac hyper- or hypo-function.

Animals↗
PubMed1977

Lithium: modification of behavioral activity and brain biogenic amines in developing hyperthyroid rats.

Daily treatment of neonatal rats with 1-triiodothyronine for 30 days increased locomotor activity as well as the synthesis and presumably, release of brain norepinephrine, dopamine and 5-hydroxytryptamine. Whereas administration of lithium carbonate (60 mg/kg) to normal rats for 10 days, beginning from the 20th day of age, produced no significant effect, this antimanic drug significantly decreased the observed increase in spontaneous locomotor activity in l-triiodothyronine-treated rats. Lithium treatment in normal rats increased the activity of striatal tyrosine hydroxylase, but produced no significant effect on the endogenous levels of norepinephrine and dopamine in several discrete brain regions examined. Lithium, enhanced deamination of catecholamines as evidenced by increased level of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid and monoamine oxidase activity in normal rats. The activity of catechol o-methyltransferase was decreased to 82 and 59% in midbrain and crebral cortex of normal rats, respectively. Furthermore, chronic treatment with lithium increased endogenous levels of tryptophan, tryptophan hydroxylase, 5-hydroxytryptamine and its metabolite, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid, in normal animals. In contrast to the effects seen in normal rats, admininstration of lithium in l-triiodothyronine-treated animals significantly decreased tyrosine hydroxylase as well as dopamine and its metabolite, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid, suggesting that this antimanic drug reduced the synthesis and turnover of dopamine. However, the steady-state levels of norepinephrine were raised in hypothalamus, pons-medulla, midbrain and striatum of lithium-treated hyperthyroid rats. As seen in normal animals, lithium in l-triidothyronine-treated rats increased trytophan, tryptophan hydroxylase and 5-hydroxytryptamine levels, but decreased the concentration of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid. The results show that the suppressed behavioral activity seen in lithium-treated hyperthyroid rats may be associated with decreased synthesis of norepinephrine and dopamine in the brain. Finally, the effects exerted by lithium on the brain catecholamine metabolizing system of young hyperthyroid rats were not similar to those seen in normal rats of the corresponding age group.

Animals↗