Abstract
During neurosurgery the freshly secreted extracellular fluid (ECF) from the choroid plexus was sampled with small pieces of application paper in three patients with intractable epilepsy. The samples were analyzed for free amino acids and for soluble proteins. The results were compared with corresponding data on extracellular fluid from the brain surface obtained with dialysis-perfusion as well as with the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) acquired by lumbar punction. The dialysis data were calibrated against the paper results. The choroid plexus secretion had a high concentration of transthyretin as well as of an unidentified protein with an isoelectric point of 7.4. The cortical ECF exhibited high concentrations of tau-globulin and gamma-trace protein. Among the amino acids, glutamine had lower concentration in the choroid plexus secretion and higher concentrations in the ECF of the brain compared to the CSF. The amino acid derivative ethanolamine exhibited a similar pattern. This was interpreted to demonstrate that these compounds enter the CSF from the brain tissue. In contrast, alanine, serine, and taurine had a lower concentration in the CSF than in the plexus secretion which suggests that they are removed from the CSF by brain tissue.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Felgenhauer, K. 1974. Protein size and cerebrospinal fluid composition. Klin. Wschr 52:1158–1164
Felgenhauer, K., Schliep, G., and Rapic, N. 1976. Evaluation of the blood-CSF barrier by protein gradients and the humoral immune response within the central nervous system. J. Neurol Sci. 30:113–128
Olsson, J-E., and Link, H. 1973. Distribution of serum proteins and beta-trace protein within the nervous system. J. of Neurochem. 20:837–846
Löfberg, H., Grubb, A.O., and Brun, A. 1981. Human brain cortical neurons contain gamma-trace. Rapid isolation, immunohistochemical and physicochemical characterization of human gamma-trace. Bio Med. Res. 3:298–306
Gallo, P., Bracco, F., Morara, S., Battistin, L., and Tavoloto, B. 1985. The cerebrospinal fluid transferrin/tau proteins. J. Neurol Sci 70:81–92
Herbert, J., Wilcox, J. N., Pham, K. T. C., Fremeau, R. T., Zeviani, M., Dwork, A., Soprano, D. R., Makover, A., Goodman, D. S., Zimmerman, E. A., Roberts, J. L., and Scon, E. A. 1986. Transthyretin: A choroid plexus-specific transport protein in human brain. Neurology 36:900–911
Wiechert, P. 1963. Uber die Permeabilität der Blut-Liquor-Schranke fur einige Aminosäuren. Acta biol med germanica 10:305–310
Franklin, G. M., Dudzinski, D. S., and Cutler, R. W. P. 1975. Amino acid transport into the cerebrospinal fluid of the rat. J. Neurochem. 25:367–372
Bradbury, M. W. B., and Dawson, H. 1965. The transport of potassium between blood, cerebrospinal fluid and brain. J. Physiol 181:151–174
Davson, H., Welch, K., and Segal, M.B. 1987.in Davson, H., Welch, K. and Segal, M. B. (eds.)The physiology and pathophysiology of the cerebrospinal fluid, Churchill Livingstone N.Y.
Ames, A., Sakanoue, M., and Endo, S. 1964. Na, K, Ca, Mg and Cl concentrations in choroid plexus fluid and cisternal fluid compared with plasma ultrafiltrate. J. Neurophysiol. 27:672–681
Lindroth, P., and Mopper, K. 1979. High performance liquid chromatographic determination of subpicomole amounts of amino acids by precolumn fluorescence derivatization with o-phtaldialdehyde. Analyt. Chem. 51:1667–1674
Vesterberg, O. 1972. Isoelectric focusing of proteins in polyacrylamide gels. Biophys. Acta 257:11–19
Vesterberg, O. 1973. Isoelectric focusing of proteins in thin layers of polyacrylamide gels. Sci. Tools 20:22–29
Oakley, B. R., Kirsch, D. R., and Morris, N. R. 1980. A simplified ultrasensitive silver stain for detecting proteins in polyacrylamide gels. Analyt. Biochem. 105:361–363.
Ungerstedt, U., and Pycock, C. 1974. Functional correlates of dopamine neurotransmission. Bull Schweiz. Acad Med Wizz 1278:1–5.
Bito, L., Davson, H., Levin, E., Murray, M., and Snider, N. 1966. The concentrations of free amino acids and other electrolytes in cerebrospinal fluid, in vivo dialysate of brain and blood plasma of the dog. J. Neurochem. 13:1057–1076.
Go, K. G., Patberg, W. R., Teelken, A. W., and Gazendam, J. 1976. The starling hypothesis of capillary fluid exchange in relation to brain edema. Pages 63–67in Pappius, Feindel. (ed.) Dynamics of brain edame, Springer Berlin
Hamberger, A., Nyström, B., and Silfvenius, H. 1988. Extra-and intracellular amino acids in the CNS of patients with epilepsy and other neurological disorders.in Avanzini, G. (ed.)Proc IV Woniep
Hamberger, A., Butcher, S. P., Hagberg, H., Jacobson, I., Lehmann, A., and Sandberg, M. 1986. Extracellular concentration of excitatory amino acids: effects of hyperexcitation, hypoglycemia and ischemia. Pages 409–442 in Roberts, P. J., Storm-Mathisen, J. and Bradford, H. D. (eds.) Excitatory amino acids, MacMillan London
Hamberger, A., Jacobson, I., Lehmann, A., and Sandberg, M. 1988. Dynamics of the cellular and extracellular compartments of brain amino acids-visions and reality of the dialysis approach. Pages 81–90 in Huether, G. (ed.) Amino acid availability in health and disease, Springer-Verlag Berlin
Weisner, B., and Kauerz, U. 1983. The influence of choroid plexus on the concentration of prealbumin. J. Neurol. Sci. 61:27–35.
Bradbury, M. 1979. The concept of a blood-brain barrier, J. Wiley & Sons N.Y.
Norenberg, M. D., and Martinez-Hernandez, A. 1979. Fine structural localizations of glutamine synthetase in astrocytes of rat brain. Brain Res. 161:303–310
Cansiano, C., Farber, M. O., Cardelli-Cansiano, P., Roberts, L. R., James, J. H., Cascino, A., Cockerill, E. M., and Manfredi, F. 1983. Plasma amino acid levels across the brain in patients with respiratory failure. Eur J Clin Invest 1:87–89
van Gelder N. M. 1983. Metabolic interactions between neurons and astroglia: glutamine synthetase, carbonic anhydrase and water balance. Pages 5–29in Jasper, H. H. and van Gelder N. M. (eds.)Basics mechanisms of neuronal excitability, Alan R. Liss
Gjedde, A., Lockwood, A. H., Duffy, T. E., and Plum, F. 1978. Cerebral blood flow and metabolism in chronically hyperammonemic rats:effect of an acute ammonia challenge. Ann Neurol. 3:325–330.
Hagberg, H., Lehmann, A., Sandberg, M., Nyström, B., Jacobson, I., and Hamberger, A. 1985. Ischemia-induced shift of inhibitory and excitatory amino acids from intra-to extracellular compartments. J. Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabol 5:413–419.
Huxtable, R. J., and Franconi, F. 1987. Introduction: Biochemistry, Nutrition and development. Pages 25–28in Huxtable, R.J., Franconi, F. and Giotti, A. (Eds.) Adv. in exp. med. and biol (The biology of taurine methods and mechanisms), Plenum Press N.Y.
Kuriyama, K., Ida, S., Ohkuma, S. and Tanaka, Y. 1985. Alteration of cerebral biosynthesis of taurine in spontaneously hypertensive and 3-acetylpyridine intoxicated rats. Pages 91–103 in Oja, S., Ahtee, L., Kontro, P., and Paasonen, M. (eds.) Taurine: Biological actions and clinical perspectives, Alan Liss N.Y.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hamberger, A., Nyström, B., Silvenius, H. et al. The contribution from the choroid plexus and the periventricular CNS to amino acids and proteins in the human CSF. Neurochem Res 15, 307–312 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00968677
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00968677