title: Distribution and release of adenosine triphosphate in rat brain.
abstract: The steady-state level of brain ATP was measured after the tissue had been treated with a focused microwave irradiation system. The brain ATP content (1.50 nmol/mg tissue) obtained by microwave fixation is similar to that observed by others using fast-freezing and microwave fixation techniques. The concentrations of ATP in different brain regions show a rather uniform distribution, ranging from 1.918 +/- 0.059 (brainstem) to 2.393 +/- 0.19 (caudate) nmol/mg tissue; however, insufficient microwave fixation time seems to produce a greater regional variation of ATP. Release of ATP was investigated by placing a cup on the sensory-motor cortex. The rate for basal release of ATP is 1.43 +/- 0.14 femtomole/min/mm(2). A 30-fold increase in ATP release was obtained by direct stimulation of the cortex with 5 mA pulses of 0.2 msec duration at a rate of 20/sec over a period of 10 min. These results, in conjunction with others describing the potent pharmacological action of the nucleotide, seem to suggest that ATP could be a mediator in a "purinergic" system in the CNS.
mesh_terms: D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001923:Brain Chemistry / Q000528:radiation effects; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D006652:Histological Techniques; D008297:Male; D008872:Microwaves; D051381:Rats; D013003:Somatosensory Cortex / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate