title: The brain is one of the most important sources of dopamine in the systemic circulation in the perinatal period of ontogenesis in rats.
abstract: This study was designed to test the authors' hypothesis that dopamine passes from dopamine-synthesizing cells in the brain to the systemic circulation prior to the formation of the blood-brain barrier during ontogenesis. High-performance liquid chromatography studies demonstrated that peripheral blood dopamine levels before formation of the blood-brain barrier-in rat fetuses and neonates-are significantly higher than after formation of the barrier in adult rats, providing indirect evidence in support of the hypothesis. Furthermore, formation of the blood-brain barrier is accompanied by a significant increase in dopamine levels in the rat brain. Direct evidence for the hypothesis was obtained in the form of a sharp decrease in blood dopamine levels in fetuses after lesioning of dopamine-synthesizing neurons in the brain by encephalectomy.
authors.affiliation: P. K. Anokhin Institute of Normal Physiology, Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, 6 B. Nikitskaya Street, 103009 Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: A V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Lavrent'eva
authors.forename: V I
authors.initials: VI
authors.lastname: Mel'nikova
authors.forename: A Ya
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: Sapronova
authors.forename: E V
authors.initials: EV
authors.lastname: Proshlyakova
authors.forename: S N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Voronova
authors.forename: M V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Ugryumov
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier / Q000196:embryology / Q000502:physiology; D001921:Brain / Q000196:embryology*; D001923:Brain Chemistry / Q000502:physiology*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D004298:Dopamine / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D004563:Electrochemistry; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus / Q000378:metabolism; D005865:Gestational Age; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism; D008636:Mesencephalon / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012249:Rhombencephalon / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004298:Dopamine