EFFECT OF ORAL-FEEDING OF ESSENCE OF CHICKEN ON THE LEVEL OF 5-HYDROXYINDOLE ACETIC-ACID IN THE CEREBROSPINAL-FLUID OF THE RAT

The effect of oral feeding of a commercial preparation of essence of c hicken (Brand's Essence of Chicken, BEC) on the level of 5-hydroxyindo le acetic acid (5-HIAA) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of the rat wa s investigated. BEC, when fed to the rat for a period of 3 days, signi ficantly increased the CSF level of 5-HIAA in seven out of 12 animals studied. As the level of CSF 5-HIAA is taken as an indication of 5-hyd roxytryptamine (5-HT) activity in the brain, it is possible that BEC i ncreased brain 5-HT activity. This increase was not due to the ingesti on of tryptophan, the primary precursor of 5-HT, because BEC contains undetectable level of tryptophan. The data indicate that by causing an increase in brain 5-HT activity, consumption of BEC may lead to the a ctivation of 5-HT-dependent physiological process like sleep improveme nt, mood elevation, analgesia, facilitation of motor output and regula tion of circadian rhythm. However, such a possibility remains to be fu rther investigated.