Bismuth intoxication: bismuth level in pig brain lipids and in subcellular fractions

Experimental intoxications of pigs were performed. It seems to be confirmed that bismuth crosses the blood-brain barrier. An organic derivative, trivinyl-bismuth, is more active than the inorganic salt of bismuth. In the brain, bismuth is preferentially found in synaptosomes. Bismuth is found in brain lipids of control pigs at very low levels. In intoxicated pigs, the level of bismuth is increased mainly in cerebellum and then in thalamus. Bismuth is partly associated to lipids. There is not a correlation between the level of bismuth in blood and in brain lipids. However, in the trivinyl intoxicated pig, a high level of blood bismuth is concomittant to a high level of brain lipid bismuth. The high content of this metal in cerebellum lipid extract may be of functional significance.