title: Effects of pregnancy on the contents of water, taurine, and total amino nitrogen in rat cerebral cortex.
abstract: Plasma osmolality and the levels of water, taurine, and total amino nitrogen (detected as ninhydrin-positive substances) have been measured in the cerebral cortices of nonpregnant and 19-day pregnant Wistar rats. Plasma osmolality fell by 11 mosmol/kg during pregnancy. Brain water content remained unaltered, but levels of taurine and ninhydrin-positive substances fell by 48.5 and 21.9%, respectively. It is suggested that one way in which brain cells are prevented from swelling during the mild hypoosmolality of pregnancy is through loss of cellular amino nitrogen, particularly taurine.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, University of Leicester, England.
authors.forename: R O
authors.initials: RO
authors.lastname: Law
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001834:Body Water / Q000378:metabolism*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D009555:Ninhydrin; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000378:metabolism*; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D011247:Pregnancy; D011270:Pregnancy, Animal / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013654:Taurine / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D013654:Taurine; D009555:Ninhydrin; D009584:Nitrogen