title: Characterization of lipoproteins in cerebrospinal fluid of mares during pregnancy and lactation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To measure apolipoproteins in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from healthy mares and to determine whether CSF concentrations of apolipoproteins change during pregnancy and lactation.
  
  
  METHODS
  5 healthy pregnant mares.
  
  
  METHODS
  2 sets of CSF samples were obtained; initial samples were obtained 10 to 30 days before parturition (mean, 18 days; median, 17 days), and second samples were obtained 19 to 26 days after parturition (mean, 23 days; median, 23 days). Cerebrospinal fluid was collected from the lumbosacral subarachnoid space of standing horses by use of routine collection techniques. Cerebrospinal fluid cholesterol concentrations were measured by use of a sensitive enzymatic assay. Ultracentrifugal fractions of CSF lipoproteins were characterized by determining the distribution of apolipoproteins, using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Analyses of isolated ultracentrifugal fractions by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed 2 apolipoproteins, with the expected molecular weights for apolipoprotein E and apolipoprotein A-I. No significant differences were observed between pre- and postpartum values in mares. The concentration of cholesterol in CSF fluid of mares was comparable to values reported in other mammals.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Apolipoprotein E in CSF of horses is a major apolipoprotein associated with high-density lipoproteins, which is similar to findings in other mammals. Additional characterization of the role of apolipoproteins in mammalian CSF may provide critical insight into various degenerative neurologic disease processes.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Biology Institute, University of California at Los Angeles, 90095, USA.
authors.forename: Donald L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Puppione
authors.forename: Melinda H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: MacDonald
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016632:Apolipoprotein A-I / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel / Q000662:veterinary; D005260:Female; D006736:Horses / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D007774:Lactation; D011247:Pregnancy; D011270:Pregnancy, Animal / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*
chemical_list: D016632:Apolipoprotein A-I; D001057:Apolipoproteins E; D002784:Cholesterol