Author(s)

Kazutaka Shigemi, Koji Tanaka, Kohsuke Hayamizu, Donald Michael Denbow, Mitsuhiro Furuse

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L-Serine is considered a functional amino acid in the central nervous system, and induces sedation and hypnotic effects in some animal models of acute and chronic stress. Accordingly, while L-serine is a candidate anti-stress factor, the central mechanism of L-serine is not clear. The present study clarifies the action of L-serine using acute chick brain slices. We investigated the changes in some extracellular fluid amino acid concentrations in response to L-serine perfusion. Taurine concentration decreased while L-alanine concentration increased following L-serine perfusion. To examine the involvement of the taurine transporter, the effect of L-serine on the taurine concentration in the presence and absence of Na⁺ was also investigated. Na⁺ had no effect on taurine concentration induced by L-serine perfusion. These results suggest that L-serine has an ability to promote L-alanine synthesis facilitating the catabolism of taurine. In conclusion, L-serine modifies the metabolism of taurine and L-alanine in the extracellular space in chick brain.

L-Serine, Chick, Brain Slice, Taurine, L-Alanine

K. Shigemi, K. Tanaka, K. Hayamizu, D. Denbow and M. Furuse, "L-Serine Decreases Taurine Concentration in the Extracellular Fluid of Brain Slices," Neuroscience and Medicine, Vol. 2 No. 3, 2011, pp. 268-274. doi: 10.4236/nm.2011.23034.