title: Effect of caffeine on ornithine metabolism in rat brain, liver and kidney.
abstract: Prolonged treatment with caffeine promotes in rats an increase of liver ornithine carbamyltransferase activity (14-day treatment). In contrast, arginase activity is already reduced in brain and kidney after 10 days, and in the liver much later (17 days). Ornithine transaminase activity was increased in both liver and kidney, while in the brain it was reduced (17 days). Ornithine decarboxylase activity showed only minor modifications in kidney, while it was unchanged in brain. Of the polyamines, only spermidine was significantly modified, being increased in brain, decreased in liver and kidney. Although these results do not explain the mechanism of the modification of brain arginine and ornithine concentration promoted by caffeine, they point to further marked effects, i.e. on OAT activity and on spermidine concentration, which could have a relevant metabolic role.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Medicina e Oncologia Sperimentale, Università di Torino.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Colombatto
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fasulo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mondardini
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Malabaila
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Grillo
mesh_terms: D012437:Adenosylmethionine Decarboxylase / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001119:Arginase / Q000378:metabolism; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D002110:Caffeine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007668:Kidney / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D009952:Ornithine / Q000378:metabolism*; D009954:Ornithine Carbamoyltransferase / Q000378:metabolism; D009953:Ornithine-Oxo-Acid Transaminase / Q000378:metabolism; D011700:Putrescine / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D013095:Spermidine / Q000378:metabolism; D013096:Spermine / Q000378:metabolism; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D013096:Spermine; D002110:Caffeine; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid; D009952:Ornithine; D009954:Ornithine Carbamoyltransferase; D009953:Ornithine-Oxo-Acid Transaminase; D001119:Arginase; D012437:Adenosylmethionine Decarboxylase; D013095:Spermidine; D011700:Putrescine