title: Effect of 2-pyrrolidone on the concentration of GABA in rat tissues.
abstract: The effects of 2-pyrrolidone, a cyclic lactam of GABA, were studied on blood and organ levels of 2-pyrrolidone, GABA, glutamic acid, glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) and GABA-transaminase (GABA-T). When administered i.p., the only significant effects observed were increases of brain and liver 2-pyrrolidone. In contrast, regular oral administration for 7 months produced significant increases of GABA and glutamic acid in brain and of glutamic acid alone in liver while GAD decreased in brain and increased in liver; GABA-T was unchanged. A new method for the synthesis of radioactive 2-pyrrolidone was set up and the enzymatic conversion of 2-pyrrolidone to GABA was measured by an original procedure. The results obtained in vitro by this method on the conversion of 2-pyrrolidone to GABA catalyzed by tissue slices, together with the observed inhibition of the GABA-dependent oxygen consumption by 2-pyrrolidone, partially explain the effects of the oral administration.
mesh_terms: D000612:4-Aminobutyrate Transaminase / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D005971:Glutamates / Q000378:metabolism; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D011760:Pyrrolidinones / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D005971:Glutamates; D011760:Pyrrolidinones; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid; D000612:4-Aminobutyrate Transaminase