HARTMANELLA-CULBERTSONI - BIOCHEMICAL-CHANGES IN THE BRAIN OF THE MENINGOENCEPHALITIC MOUSE

Meningoencephalitis was produced in albino mice by intranasal inoculation of Hartmanella culbertsoni. In the infected brain phosphatidyl choline (PC), phosphatidyl ethanolamine + phosphatidyl serine (PE + PS), sphingomyelin and cholesterol registered decrease, lysophospholipids and free fatty acids accumulated, and part of the cholesterol was esterified. Phospholipase A (EC 3.1.1.4) and sphingomyelinase (EC 3.1.4.12) were elaborated in the postmitochondrial supernatant fraction. The levels of lipid peroxides, in brain as well as the capacity of brain homogenates to form lipid peroxides in vitro, was higher in the infected animals as compared to the uninfected. The activities of succinate dehydrogenase (EC 1.3.99.1) and cytochrome c oxidase (EC 1.9.3.1) in the mitochondrial fraction of the infected brain decreased while adenosine triphosphatase (EC 3.6.1.3) was stimulated. Addition of cytosol fraction (105,000g supernatant) of infected brain to the mitochondrial fraction of uninfected brain caused inhibition of succinate dehydrogenase and cytochrome c oxidase and stimulation of adenosine triphosphatase. This shows that some toxic substance(s) which inhibits mitochondrial function in brain is produced in the cytosol during infection. This inhibitor was nondialyzable and heat stable. © 1979.