Eicosanoid precursor polyenoic fatty acids modulate synaptic levels of dopamine in ex-vivo slices of rat brain striatum.
BACKGROUND
Considerable evidence indicates that polyunsaturated fatty acids are important in normal brain structure and function.


METHODS
Rat brain striatal slices incubated with tritiated dopamine were electrically stimulated twice. During the first only buffer was perfused. During the second period buffer, fatty acid plus indomethacin, or fatty acid plus nordihydroguaiaretic acid were perfused. The ratio of the two stimulations indicated changes in released tritium.


RESULTS
The only fatty acids to induce significant changes in tritium were the eicosanoid-precursors, dihomo-gamma-linolenic, arachidonic and eicosapentaenoic acids.


CONCLUSIONS
There were no differences between the effects of the fatty acid alone or fatty acid in the presence of indomethacin, indicating little involvement of the cyclooxygenase pathway. Fatty acid in the presence of nordihydroguaiaretic acid reversed the low synaptic tritium concentrations, indicating that the lipoxygenase pathway may be active in dopaminergic metabolism in striatum.
Davidson
Bruce C
BC
University of the Witwaterstrand Medical School, 7 York Road, Parktown, 2193, South Africa.
D015126:8,11,14-Eicosatrienoic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D016718:Arachidonic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000378:metabolism*; D016861:Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism*; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / Q000378:metabolism; D007213:Indomethacin / Q000494:pharmacology; D016859:Lipoxygenase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D009637:Masoprocol / Q000494:pharmacology; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013569:Synapses / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*
D016861:Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors; D005227:Fatty Acids; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; D016859:Lipoxygenase Inhibitors; D016718:Arachidonic Acid; D009637:Masoprocol; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid; D015126:8,11,14-Eicosatrienoic Acid; D004298:Dopamine; D007213:Indomethacin