抄録
The present study was conducted, from the view point of the effects of ozone upon rat, to investigate the toxic effects of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), the changes in the activity of the lung and serum monoamine oxidase (MAO), which metabolizes 5-HT, and the changes in the 5-HT content of various organs. In the rats exposed previously to ozone, a number of animals died by the intraperitoneal administration of 5-HT, though the control rats without previous exposure to ozone didn’t receive any lethal damage by the administration of the same dose of 5-HT. The mortality of the rats exposed previously to ozone increased as the dose of 5-HT was increased and the susceptibility to 5-HT increased as the ozone concentration became higher, but it decreased as the interval between the end of the exposure and 5-HT administration became longer and the increased susceptibility was detectable for as long as 12 1/2 hours. In the rats exposed to ozone, the activity of the lung and serum MAO was significantly inhibited as compared with the control, and these changes in the activity generally paralleled each other with time. In these rats, the 5-HT content of the lung and spleen was significantly increased, that of the brain was significantly decreased but no significant change in the 5-HT content was noted in the liver and kidney.
