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Published on: November 20, 2015
Distribution of pipecolic acid and proline in the developing rat brain and peripheral organs
H Nishio, Y Yamada1, E Giacobini2
1Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hiroshima University School of Medicine, Hiroshima 734, Japan.
Abstract:
The regional distribution of pipecolic acid and proline was studied in the adult and newborn rat brain. The brain concentration of pipecolic acid in the 1 and 3-day-old rat was 6-10 times higher than in the adult. The brain concentration of proline was found to be about 3 times higher in the brain of a newborn rat than in the adult, then it gradually decreased during the period of lactation. In plasma as well as in peripheral tissues, such as heart, kidney and liver, the highest concentration of pipecolic acid was observed at 1 day and in the adult. Secretion of pipecolic acid into the urine was highest at early stages of development. In the gastrointestinal tract, pipecolic acid was found to be most abundant in the adult, whereas low levels were found during the period of lactation. The developmental and regional changes in concentration of proline were quite different from those of pipecolic acid. Our results suggest that the contribution of dietary pipecolic acid in building up levels of pipecolic acid in rat brain is small.
