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Biomedical subjects

S Algeri

Publications and source records attributed to S Algeri.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1980

Methadone exposure in utero: effects on brain biogenic amines and behavior.

Gravid rats were treated with methadone, 10 mg/kg/day, or vehicle, from day 5 of gestation to term. The offspring were nursed by foster mothers receiving either methadone or vehicle to form 4 groups: (A) methadone during gestation and lactation, (B) methadone during gestation, (C) methadone during lactation, and (D) no drug treatment. Brain monoamines and metabolites were examined at 21 days of age and found to be decreased in groups A and B. Animals treated comparably to group B and sacrificed at 90 days of age showed no abnormalities in brain monoamines excepting a decrease in dopamine metabolites in limbic areas. Another group treated in utero with methadone was tested at 90 days fo age for shuttle-box avoidance acquisition using massed trials. Methadone-exposed subjects exhibited more avoidances, escapes and intertrial shuttles than controls by the third day of training. These results suggest that subtle but lasting changes in limbic dopamine functions as a consequence of fetal exposure to methadone may make rats hyper-responsive in a massed-trial avoidance procedure in the shuttle-box.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

Significance of dopamine metabolites in the evaluation of drugs acting on dopaminergic neurons.

The effect of various drugs was studied on 3-methoxytyramine (3-MT) concentrations in rat striatum. The drugs were chosen for their ability to interfere with the dopaminergic system at different levels. Dopamine (DA) acidic metabolites, i.e. homovanillic acid (HVA) and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), were also measured. Changes of 3-MT, unlike those of DOPAC and HVA, seem to reflect the functional activity of dopaminergic neurons. In fact drugs believed to increase or decrease DA content in the synaptic cleft produce predictable changes of striatal 3-MT. Thus cocaine, nomifensine and d-amphetamine increase 3-MT concentrations while gamma-butyrolactone, alpha-methyltyrosine and apomorphine decrease it.

3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid↗
PubMed1977

Tissue levels of S-adenosylmethionine in aging rats.

The tissue levels of S-Adenosylmethionine (SAMe) in 30-mo.-old rats were measured, and a remarkable decrease was observed compared to adult rats. The synthesis of SAMe by the methionine-activating enzyme and its utilization by COMT were investigated in different tissues. The activity of the synthesizing enzyme was unchanged in the liver and brain of adult and senescent rats, while COMT activity appeared to be higher in the aging rats. Thus, the result indicates that the decrease of same in these organs of senescent rats is due to the increased utilization rather than the decreased synthesis of this methyl donor compound.

Adrenal Glands↗
PubMed1977

Biochemical aspects of Huntington's chorea.

Fifteen patients affected by Huntington's chorea were divided into two groups, 'slow' and 'fast', according to IQ scores on the Wechsler-Bellevue scale, and scores on some motor performance tests. A possible correlation was looked for between some biochemical data (cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), homovanillic acid (HVA), and 5-hydroxyindolacetic acid (5HIAA) levels, plasma dopamine-beta-hydroxylase (DBH), dopamine (DA) uptake by platelets), and clinical data (duration of illness, severity of symptoms, age of patients, IQ scores, 'slow' and 'fast' groups). The CSF, HVA, and 5HIAA levels were found to be significantly lowered in comparison with normal controls. DBH activity and DA uptake by platelets did not differ significantly from normal subjects. Treatment with haloperidol in all patients and with dipropylacetic acid in three patients did not appear to modify the CSF, HVA, and 5HIAA concentrations, the plasma DBH activity, or the DA uptake. There were no significant differences in the CSF, HVA, and 5HIAA contents between the two groups of patients, and there was no correlation between biochemical data and clinical features.

Adult↗