LIthium Carbonate가 백서뇌내신경전달물질에 미치는 영향에 관한 실험적 연구

Abstract

An experimental study was performed to elucidate the mechanism of therapeutic effect of lithium in the manic-depressive illness using 174 male SpragueDawley rats. The concentrations of lithium in plasma, erythrocyte, and brain tissue and the concentrations of norepinephrine, dopamine, and 5 hydroxytryptamine in the whole brain of rats were measured following single dose (3mM or/6mM kg. wt.) or repeated administrations (3mM/kg/day, for 3 days, 7 days, and 14 days) of lithium carbonate through mouth. 1. The correlation between plasma lithium and brain lithium levels was slightly higher than that between erythrocyte lithium and brain lithium levels. 2. Following single dose of lithium carbonate, the concentrations of norepinephrine, dopamine and 5-hydroxytryptamine were not changed significantly from those of the controis. 3. Following repeated administrations (more than 3 days) of lithium carbonate, the concentration of 5 hydroxytryptamine was significantly elevated, but the concentrations of norepinephrine and dopamine were not changed significantly from those of controls. 4. When the lithium administrations were combined with the intraperitoneal injection of a tyrosine hydroxylase inhibitor, a-methylparatyrosine or a tryptophan hydroxylase inhibitor, para-chlorophenylalanine, there was a tendency of elevation of concentrations of all 3 amines. Above results indicated that the plasma lithium values reflected better the lithium concentration of the brain than erythrocyte lithium values, and that the lithium lowers the activities of norepinephrine, dopamine and 5- hydroxytryptamine neurone in the brain and may affect the synthesis of thess monoamines. These lowering effect of lithium might be related to the therapeutic effect of lithium in manicdepressive illness.