抄録
Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) is present in many tissues and is thought to play some important role in the physiological function. It has been also proposed that the effects of some drugs, such as lysergic diethylamide or reserpine, might be mediated through an alteration in endogenous 5-HT. The several reports regarding to assay method of 5-HT in tissues have been presented. Firstly, 5-HT was determined by bioassay procedure but this method was found to be inadequate owing to its non-specificity. Udenfriend et al have applied the fluorometric method to the estimation of 5-HT in the brain by a procedure involving its extraction step into butanol. The method, however, was not sensitive enough to examine a single rat brain. They also used the direct method in which the extraction procedure was not involved, but this method is not suitable to the brain because relatively large amounts of unknown fluorescence substances are present. Although it has become later possible to examine 5-HT of a single rat brain by reducing proportionately the volumes of the various reagents which are used in the fluorometric procedures, its sensitivity may not still suffice to determine tissue 5-HT. Therefore, in order to assay of 5-HT in the mouse brain, the tissues from 2 or 3, or 5 mice are currently pooled. However, the determination of 5-HT should be done in more detail for the purpose of evaluating a role of 5-HT involved in the physiological function or pharmacological actions. For example, the assay of 5-HT in several parts of the brain separated according to those function, or subcellular distribution of 5-HT in some tissues have been become the subject of investigation. The more sensitive assay method, therefore, is to be awaited with interest. The present study was performed with a view to determining the more sensitive and simple assay method of 5-HT, and the fluorometric procedure described by Bogdanski et al was modified.
