Uptake and subcellular distribution of intraventricularly injected [1-3H]dolichol in rat brain

The uptake of C95[l-3H]dolichol in the form of liposomes into rat brain after the intracerebral and intraperitoneal injection was inves­tigated. Efficient, time-dependent uptake of dolichol into the brain was observed exclusively after the intraventricular injection. Within 24 h after the injection about 10% of the applied dolichol was found in the brain and 1.5% in liver. The distribution of dolichol in various parts of rat brain decreased in the order: cerebellum > midbrain > grey matter and brain stem > white matter. Sevtn days after the injection total radioactivity in the brain decreased and concomitantly a sig­nificant increase was observed in blood circulating and liver of the rat. The highest activity was found in grey matter and it remained a few times higher in comparison with that in whitematter. About 80% of the dolichol taken up by the brain membrane was recovered in the follow­ing subcellular fractions: crude nuclear fraction > microsomes > mitochondria > synaptosomes > myelin.