Letters to the Edi tor
THE INFLUENCE OF SOME C.N.S. ACTING DRUGS ON ALKALINE PHOSPHATASE
ACTIVITY IN THE BRAIN OF RATS IT IS SATISFACTORILY ESTABLISHED THAT THE
energy-rich phosphate compounds like phos
pho-creatinine and adenosine triphosphate play a vital role in cerebral metabolism', The influence of inorganic phosphate on the glycolytic cycle of the brain is also recog
nized". In view of this, it was considered worthwhile to study the pattern of changes evoked by different classes of drugs acting on the central nervous system on brain alka
line phosphatase activity in rats.
Two drugs were taken as representatives of each class. The hallucinogens were repre
sented by lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD
25) and adrenochrome (adrenochrome mono
semicarbazone dihydrate - Horlicks Ltd.);
the sedatives by long acting barbital sodium and the short acting seconal (Eli Lilly &
Co.). In the iranquiliizer class reserpine (Serpasil; Ciba) and total Rauvolfia alkaloids (' Serpina ', Himalayan Drug Co., Bombay)
were taken. The conoulsanis were repre_
sented by Metrazol (Knoll) and strychnine.
The route of administration and the dosage of the drugs -are indicated in Table 1. The·
animals were sacrificed immediately after the symptoms characterizing the pharmacologic action of a particular drug became overt.
This procedure was, however, not followed with adrenochrome because no such external symptoms indicating the action of this drug was known. Accordingly, the animals in
jected with adrenochrome were killed arbi
trarily an hour after its administration. The brain was carefully removed (with all pre
cautions. to preserve the enzyme activity) and weighed to the nearest milligram. The organ was homogenized with water (100 ml.1 g. fresh tissue), centrifuged for 5 min. at 2000 r.p.m, and the clear supernatant was finally processed for estimation of enzyme activity according to the method laid down by Hawk et al.2. Appropriate controls were run for each experiment (Table 1). Male rats of the Institute colony were used
TABLE 1 - CHANGES IN BRAIN ALKALINE PHOSPHATASE ACTIVITY
DRUG
I. Hallucinogens Control LSD-25 Control Adrenochrome n. Sedatives
Control Barbital-Na Control Seconal In. Tranqullllzers.
Control
Serpina (total RauvoLlia) Serpasil (reserpine) IV. Convulsants
Control Strychnine Control Metrazol
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DOSE AND ROUTE ALKALINE PHOSPHATASE CHANGES IN ENZYME OF ADfa.lINISTRATION ACTIVITY IN THE BRAIN ACTIVITY
WITH S.E. (% IN TERMS OF
1 mg./kg.; i.p.
5 mg./kg.; i.m.
100 mg. {kg. ; i.p.
40 mg. {kg. ; Lp, -
12' 5 mg. {kg. ; orally 12' 5 mg./kg.; orally
3'2 mg)kg.; i.p.
- 50'0 mg./kg.; i.p.
(mg. P/g./%r.)
2·17±0·20 (12)·
1'27±0'10 (12) 1'50±0'05 (7) 1'67±0'30 (7)
1'07±0'17 (0) 3·38±0·26 (9) 2'07±0'92 (10) 2'36±0'18 (10)
1'47±0'12 (7) 2·38±0·32 (5) 1·21±0·10 (6)
2'41±0'09 (6)
r-75±0'30 (7) 1'12±0·09 (10) 1'49±0'1O (10)·
CONTROL VALUE)
-41,3 +11'4
+215·3 +14'0
+61·7 -17,3
-27·2 +33'0
·Figure in parenthesis indicated the number of animals.
i.p., mtraperrtoneally,
STATISTIC AL SIGNIFICANCE
P<O'Ol P>O'lO
P<O'OOl P>O'Ol
P<O·Ol P>0'20
P<O·lO p<0·10
1
°tor
'ere repre
strychnine, the dosage .le 1. The ly after the rmacologic irne overt.
rt followed .h external f this drug nimals in
cilled arbi
tion. The th all pre
e activity) ram. The r (100 tni.]
5 min. at iatant was of enzyme laid down itrols were 1). Male were used
rATI5TIC AL [GNIFICANCE:
P<O'Ql P>O'lO
P<O·OOI P>O·Ql
P<O'Ol P>O'20
P<O·lO P<O·lO
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR-
throughout this investigation. Statistical cal
culations ofthe data were done by the method mentioned by Kar",
The alkaline phosphatase activity in the brain was significantly decreased after ad
ministration of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD-25), but adrenochrome had no such effect (Table 1). It was interesting that Hoagland et al.4 found a considerable reduc
tion in urinary excretion of inorganic phos
phate in normal subjects and guinea-pigs injected with LSD-25. Curiously, schizo
phrenic patients too showed a similar pattern of urinary excretion of inorganic phosphates, Of the two barbiturates studied, barbital sodium caused a spectacular elevation of alkaline phosphatase activity but seconal had only a modicum of effect in this respect.
Noteworthy results were also obtained with the tranquillizers. Thus reserpine tended to diminish the enzyme activity albeit not in a statistically significant manner. In contrast, the total Rauvolfia alkaloids signi
ficantly increased the brain alkaline phospha
tase activity. It may be recalled that the animals were decapitated immediately after the symptoms of tranquillization became visible after the administration of these drugs. Evidently some alkaloids other than reserpine in the total mixture was responsible for such differential response of brain alka
line phosphatase to the two drugs.
Metrazol tended to increase the enzyme activity in the brain, whereas strychnine decreased it. But these results were not statistically significant.
Further investigations are in progress and the details will be published elsewhere.
1. M. CHAK
R. P. DAS*
(Miss) SUJATA LAHIRIt Central Drug Research Institute
Lucknow 29 April 1958
1. McILWAIN, R., Biochemistry and the Central Nervous System (J. &: A. Churchill Ltd., London), 1955,29,77.
2. HAWK, P. B. et ai., Practical Physiological Che
mistry (J. &: A. Churchill Ltd., London), 1947, 583.
3. KAR, A. B., ]. sci. industr . Res., 14C (1955), 89.
4. HOAGLAND, H. et al., A.M.A. Arch. Neurol, 0
Psychiat., 73(1955), 100.
°I.C.M.R. Fellow.
tResearch Assistant, Scientific Research Com
mittee Scheme, Government of Uttar Pradesh.
POLLEN CONTENT OF SOME INDIAN HONEYS
THE INFORMATION ON THE POLLEN CONTENT
of Indian honeys is meagre. The only paper on the subject is by Sen and Banerjee- . The Village Industries Committee, Bombay State, have published a pamphlets on the pollen of major honey-yielding plants of Mahabalesh
war hills. A preliminary account of the investigations on the pollen content of some Indian honeys carried out in this Institute is presented in this communication.
Some of the samples examined were com
mercial honeys sold in Lucknow, namely Nepal honey, Almora honey and Haridwar honey. A sample was collected from a hive on a tree at Lucknow. The sample of Kheri honey was kindly supplied to the author by the President, Uttar Pradesh Bee Keepers' Association, Lucknow. Nepal honey was kindly supplied by Hakim Masihulmulk of Lucknow and the Almora honey by Vaid Perrnanand of Lucknow, who also supplied a sample of lotus honey. Samples of Dar
jeeling and Sunderbans honeys were pur
chased by the author during his visits to the two places. Honey from Makut, Coorg, was obtained from the Forest Range Officer, Makut.
The samples were examined as follows:
Twenty-five to 50 ml. of the sample were diluted with water to make up the volume to 100 ml. and acetolysed, Slides of the samples were prepared in glycerine jelly, sealed with paraffin wax and examined for their pollen content-.-.
Nepal honey sliows an abundance of cruci
fer pollen. The pollen of Olea (Oleaceae) and Salmalia (Malvaceae) were present in more or less equal proportions and are next in order of abundance. Other pollen grains present were of Chrysanthemum, Helianthus, Centaurea (Compositae) and those of Caryo
phyllaceae, Amarantaceae iDigera sp.), Lilia
ceae and Amaryllidaceae. The occurrence of grass pollen was rare. The organic matter in the honey included, besides pollen, tracheids of Pinus sp. (Coniferae) and scales of insects.
Haridtuar honey, like the Nepal honey, included an abundance of crucifer pollen probably from only one species. Next in abundance were pollen of Syzygium (Myrta
ceae) and Grewia (Tiliaceae). The pollen of Cornpositae were rare. The sample also con
tained the 2~saccate pollen grains of Cedrus deodara (Coniferae).
123
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