Uptake into brain proteins of 35S-methionine during morphine tolerance.

Effect of morphine sulfate on protein synthesis in rat brain was evaluated in tolerant and nontolerant rats. Male Wistar-Lewis rats were randomly distributed to control, tolerant and nontolerant groups. The rats were made tolerant by giving morphine sulfate (25 mg/kg b.i.d.) for either 42 or 84 days. An aqueous solution of 35S-methionine (0.5 muc/g b.w.t.) was administered i.v. Rats from each group were then sacrificed at 20 minutes, 1 hour and 2 hours after 35S-methionine. The 35S-activity in trichloroacetic acid-precipitated proteins and supernatant fractions from cortex, hypothalamus, putamen, corpus callosum, thalamus, cerebellum, kidney and liver was determined. In addition the amounts of label in lipid, saline-soluble and insoluble proteins of whole brain for tolerant and control rats were determined. The 35S-activity in brain proteins of non-tolerant rats did not differ from those of controls. The six brain areas in tolerant rats 1 and 2 hours after injection of 35S-methionine showed a 15 percent, then 30 percent increase in radioactivity (disintegrations per minute per milligram of protein). Proteins from putamen and corpus callosum had w/w 60 percent of the 35S-activity found in hypothalamus and cortex. There was no difference in 35S-activity in kidney and liver between control and tolerant rats. The radioactivity of the brain lipids was 2 percent of that found in proteins in both tolerant and control groups. Protein synthesis in morphine tolerant rat brain is significantly (P smaller than .01) increased as judged by incorporation of 35S-methionine.

RADIOAUTOGRAPHY OF CHOLESTEROL IN LUNG : An Assessment of Different Tissue Processing Techniques.

30 Swiss albino mice aged 8 days were injected intraperitoneally with 0.2 ml of a solution of 4% N,N-dimethyl-formamide in 5% dextrose in water containing cholesterol-1,2-(3)H ( approximately 1 mCi/ml). Lung tissue was embedded in an Epon mixture after either acetone and propylene oxide dehydration, partial ethanol and Epon 812 dehydration, or the precipitation of cholesterol by digitonin succeeded by partial dehydration. The distribution of cholesterol-1,2-(3)H in lung parenchyma in 1micro Epon section radioautograms was compared with that in frozen section radioautograms and was found to be independent of the manner of tissue processing. Grain distribution in the tissue was essentially the same whether 16, 63, 93, or 100% radioactivity was retained in the lung. However, grain distribution in the alveolar spaces differed, presumably due to displacement of pulmonary surfactant, which contains cholesterol. Intracellular distribution of cholesterol, in electron microscope radioautograms, was the same with either 51% or 93% retention of radioactivity in the lung. Loss of radioactivity into the various processing solutions was monitored. The various processing techniques have different drawbacks.