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Alterations of Rat Brain Lipids in Methyl Mercury Intoxication

Lipidförändringar i råtthjärnan vid metylkvicksilverförgiftning

Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica volume 16, pages 76–83 (1975)Cite this article

Abstract

Lipid alterations due to experimental intoxication by methyl mercury were studied in rat brain. The methyl mercury was administered perorally as a hydroxide bound to bovine liver protein. The lipids were separated by thin layer chromatography and the fatty acids identified by gasliquid chromatography. The lipids studied included free fatty acids, cholesterol and the main phosphatidylesters, phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine.

The methyl mercury treatment resulted in an increase in total brain lipids and palmitic acid (16:0) in the free fatty acid fraction. This increase is interpreted as the cellular response to compensate for the loss of membrane proteins known to take place in the brain due to methyl mercury intoxication.

Sammanfattning

Lipidförändringar förorsakade i råtthjärnan av en experimentell kvicksilverförgiftning blev undersökt. Metylkvicksilvret ingavs perorait som hydroxid, bundet till leverprotein. Lipiderna isolerades med tunnskiktskromatografi och fettsyrorna identifierades med gaskromatografi. De undersökta fetterna omfattade fria fettsyror, kolesterol och de viktigaste fosfolipiderna, fosfatidylkolin och fosfatidyletanolamin.

Metylkvicksilverbehandlingen framkallade en ökning av totala mängden hjärnlipid och palmitinsyra (16:0) i fria fettsyrors fraktion. Ökningen anses vara den cellulära reaktionen för att kompensera förlust av membranprotein, som sker i hjärnan vid kvicksilverförgiftning.

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  1. Department of Biochemistry, College of Veterinary Medicine, Helsinki, Finland

    K. Salminen

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Salminen, K. Alterations of Rat Brain Lipids in Methyl Mercury Intoxication. Acta Vet Scand 16, 76–83 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03546697

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Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica

ISSN: 1751-0147