title: Quinolinate and kainate facilitate magnesium penetration into brain tissue.
abstract: To study the penetration of magnesium ions from blood into brain tissue, magnesium content in serum and hippocampus of normal and of excitotoxically affected rats was estimated after a single subcutaneous injection of magnesium sulphate (600 mg kg-1). In normal rats Mg2+ levels in serum rose from 1 to 6 mM, while that of the hippocampus remained constant, provided the brains were perfused before magnesium measurement. Following unilateral intracerebroventricular injection of the excitotoxic glutamate analogues, quinolinate or kainate acid, Mg2+ levels increased up to 38% on the (unaffected) contralateral side. Since magnesium is known to prevent glutamate-mediated neurodegeneration, our findings on the accessibility of exogenously applied magnesium may justify further investigations on the utility of magnesium for a therapeutic approach to limiting excitotoxic brain injury in human patients.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biology of Medical Academy of Magdeburg, Germany.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rothe
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wolf
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hass
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Keilhoff
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Abicht
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier; D002552:Cerebral Ventricles / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000098:blood supply / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D007276:Injections, Intraventricular; D007608:Kainic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007700:Kinetics; D008274:Magnesium / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D010477:Perfusion; D017378:Quinolinic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D017378:Quinolinic Acid; D008274:Magnesium; D007608:Kainic Acid