A study of creatine kinase reaction in rat brain under chronic pathological conditions - Chronic ischemia and ethanol intoxication

Creatine kinase reaction rates were measured by the magnetisation transfer technique in brains of healthy adult and aged rats and in rats with chronic cerebral ischemia and chronic ethanol intoxication. These measurements ind icated that the rate constant of the creatine kinase reaction is significan tly reduced in the case of severe chronic cerebral ischemia in aged rats. I n the adult rats, during chronic ethanol intoxication after 3 weeks of admi nistration of 3 mi of 30% ethanol once a day via a gastric tube, a signific ant decrease in the pseudo first-order rate constant k(for) of the creatine kinase reaction was also found. In contrast, mild chronic cerebral ischemi a in adult rats produced an increase in the reaction rate 4 weeks after occ lusion, At the same time, corresponding conventional phosphorus magnetic re sonance spectra showed negligible changes in signal intensities, (C) 2000 E lsevier Science Inc.