Abstract

Introduction

Materials & Methods

Results

Discussion & Conclusion

References

Discussion
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The unique properties of cerebral capillary endothelial cells selectively restrict the passage of water and nutrients between blood and brain, forming the blood-brain barrier (BBB). We focus on the transportation of various trace elements through BBB and their retainment in the brain. The radioactive tracer technique is useful to evaluate the role of trace elements in brain.

RIKEN group and we have developed the new multitracer technique since 1990. The multitracer technique has the advantages over the conventional single tracer technique: a multitracer solution contains a number of radioisotopes employed as tracers and enables simultaneous tracing of various elements in the identical system and a strict comparison of their behavior(1,2). We have been applying the technique to the studies of the tissue and subcellular distribution in mice and rats(3-5). In the preceding meeting, we compared the uptake behaviors of radioactive Mn, Fe, Zn, Se in 7 brain regions of young and elder C57BL/6N mice(6,7). In all regions the uptake rates were found in the following order; Zn > Mn > Fe > Se. Significant differences in regional uptake rates were found among some regions. We are now interested in the neurodegerative changes of the uptake of various trace elements, and the function of trace elements in several neurodegeneration diseases.

The present work aims to study regional cerebral uptake behaviors of a multitracer of ⁴⁶Sc, ⁴⁸V, ⁵⁴Mn, ⁵⁸Co, ⁶⁵Zn, ⁷⁵Se, ⁸³Rb and ⁸⁸Zr among 7 brain regions(corpus striatum, cerebellum, cerebral cortex, hippocampus, midbrain, olfactory, and pons and medulla) and blood in the young and elder C57BL/6N mice. The multitracer solution is expected to give us new findings concerning the relationship between the regional BBB function and the uptake behavior of some trace elements.

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