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| Author(s): |
Patricia Pereira Defilippo
Total Authors: 1
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| Document type: | Master's Dissertation |
| Press: | São Paulo. |
| Institution: | Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Medicina (FM/SBD) |
| Defense date: | 2009-09-10 |
| Examining board members: |
Wagner Farid Gattaz;
Raúl Marcel González Garcia;
Andrea Laurato Sertie Santos
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| Advisor: | Wagner Farid Gattaz |
| Abstract | |
The phospholipase (PLA2) is considered a key enzyme in the metabolism of phospholipids, which are the main constitutes of cellular membranes. Alterations in PLA2 activity have been reported in the brain and blood cells of psychiatric patients and also in biological matrixes like rat brain tissues and cultures of neuron cells. Inhibition of PLA2 activity in primary cultures of rat neurons resulted in neurotoxicity, which demonstrates the role of PLA2 in survival processes and neuronal development. In this study, a radioenzymatic assay was standardized to detect the activity of the three main groups of PLA2, which are the calcium dependent secretory PLA2 (sPLA2), the cytosolic calcium dependent PLA2 (cPLA2) and the intracellular calcium independent PLA2 (iPLA2), in the culture of neurons. Critical variables for the enzymatic assay were tested and from the results the method used was modified. Our findings demonstrate that there is a predominance of iPLA2 subtype (71%) in cultures of rat neurons. So therefore we present an in vitro model which aims to determine the main activity of PLA2 subtypes and can be considered an investigative tool for comprehending the mechanisms involved in neuropsychiatric disorders that show alterations in PLA2 activity. Furthermore, the effects of new chemical and traditional substances, such as the drugs used in psychiatric treatments, can be evidenced in the neurons by the use of laboratorial models based on studies of neuron cultures. (AU) | |