ABSTRACT
Changes in the concentration of glycogen in various areas of the brain of epileptic rats were investigated. Epilepsy was induced by implantation of cobalt discs on the right sensory motor cortex and epileptic animals have shown clear tonic-clonic jerks of the contra-lateral fore and hind limbs. It was found that glycogen concentration was increased by 29% in the epileptogenic sensory motor cortex as compared to the same area in the contra-lateral hemisphere. Glycogen concentration in other areas within the same hemisphere remained unaffected. Implantation of nickel or copper on the same sensory motor cortex, which did not cause the typical limb jerks of epilepsy, had no effect on glycogen concentration in the same treated areas. Assay of relevant metabolites in the epileptic cortex showed an increase in the concentration of pyruvate and glucose-6-phosphate, by 218% and 112% respectively. The results suggest that the increased glycogen concentration in epileptogenic focus results from increased uptake of glucose due to neuronal hyperexcitability.
ABSTRACT
The ability to support the heterogenous cell population having in vivo growth characteristics for in vitro study has been the goal of many investigators. In 1986, an assay offering that three dimensional culture system grows tumors obtained directly from surgery or biopsy at high frequency for long periods of time and has them maintain many of their in vivo properties was reported. In this study, these experimental model for three-dimensional ""native-state"" culture of tissues or collagen gels have been applied to normal human renal cortical tissues obtained directly from the nephrectomized kidney for renal cell carcinoma. Gel specimens histocultured for 4 weeks were treated with cisplalinum with a variety of concentrations and exposure times. Pre-treatment viability of the gel specimens was checked by measuring the amount of glucoseconsumption by viable tissues. Cisplatinum induced toxicities were evaluated by measuring of glucose consumption and [3H] thymidine incorporation. The glucose consumption of renal cortical tissues decreased steadily in the control group. Cisplatinum induced suppression of glucose consumption, starting on 2x 10-5M in concentration, was proportionally increased by concentration and duration of exposure. These results may provide an experimental availability for the three dimensional collagen gel culture method applied to human renal cortical tissue as a tissue culture model and for the glucose consumption as an index representing tissue viability as a whole. It was not found that glucose consumption rate was related to thymidine uptake as a DNA precursor incorporation.