title: Glucose deprivation increases aspartic acid release from synaptosomes of aged mice.
abstract: To investigate the possible existence of age-related changes in excitatory amino acid release in brain, and the influence of glucose deprivation on this process, we have determined the release of endogenous aspartate and glutamate from synaptosomes freshly isolated from the cerebrum of young (12 months old) and aged (24 months old) mice. We found that there are no age-related changes in the synaptosomal release of aspartic and glutamic acids. However, in the absence of glucose in the medium of incubation aspartate and glutamate release was higher in old than in young animals (P < 0.05, and P = 0.09 respectively). Our results suggest that the ability of cerebral synaptosomes to release glutamate and aspartate remains functionally intact in old cerebrum, but there is an age-dependent dysfunction in this process linked to energy metabolism disturbances.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Neurociencias, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Alicante, Spain.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Martínez
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hernanz
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Ferrándiz
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: De Juan
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sevila
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Martínez
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Miquel
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000378:metabolism*; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D005260:Female; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D013574:Synaptosomes / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D001224:Aspartic Acid; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D005947:Glucose