SOME NEUROCHEMICAL ASPECTS OF FLUOROCITRATE INTOXICATION

— Some metabolic and biochemical effects of fluorocitrate were studied in vivo in rat brain and cat spinal cord. During the preconvulsant and convulsant phases of fluorocitrate poisoning the contents of free glutamate, glutamine and aspartate declined progressively, while that of alanine increased. Incorporation of 14C from [U-14C]glucose into these amino acids also decreased, although somewhat more gradually. GABA exhibited a biphasic change, its content rising after an initial decrease while its relative specific activity rose initially and subsequently diminished. Incorporation of 14C from [U-14C]glucose and [U-14C]lysine into neural protein declined sharply. The citric acid content rose markedly in rat brain and cat spinal cord. In rat brain the glycogen content declined but ATP and ammonia contents were unchanged. The significance of these results with respect to energy metabolism and the possible mechanism of the convulsions during fluorocitrate poisoning is discussed.