Publication Cover
Nutritional Neuroscience
An International Journal on Nutrition, Diet and Nervous System
Volume 12, 2009 - Issue 4
27
Views
1
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Research article

Oral administration of Excitin-1 (β-alanyl-L-leucine) alters behavior and brain monoamine and amino acid concentrations in rats

, , , , , & show all
Pages 175-182 | Published online: 19 Jul 2013
 

Abstract

We previously demonstrated that β-alanyl-branched chain amino acids have excitatory effects. Therefore, we named β-alanyl-L-leucine, β-alanyl-L-isoleucine and β-alanyl-L-valine as Excitin-1, -2, and -3 , respectively. Since there is little known about the effects of Excitins, we clarified whether oral administration of Excitin-1 affects behavior in rats, alters the monoamine and amino acid levels in the central nervous system, whether Excitin-1 is incorporated into the brain, and how long it remains in the blood. Excitin-1 increased motor behavior, increasing the distance of path and number of rearings in the open field. Excitin-1 influenced some monoamine and amino acid levels in the cerebral cortex and hypothalamus. Following oral administration, Excitin-1 was detected in the cerebral cortex, hypothalamus, hippocampus and olfactory bulb. In the plasma, Excitin-1 and its metabolites β-alanine and L-leucine were recorded. The present study demonstrated that Excitin-1 was incorporated in the brain and promoted behavioral changes in rats.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.