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Assessment of reliability and biological significance of glutamate levels in cerebrospinal fluid

1993; Wiley; Volume: 33; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1002/ana.410330316

1531-8249

Carlo Ferrarese, N. Pecora, M. Frigo, Ildebrando Appollobnio, L. Frattola,

Amino Acid Enzymes and Metabolism

Abstract The published information on glutamate levels in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and modifications in neurological disorders is controversial. In the present study, we demonstrated a metabolic instability of glutamare in untreated CSF and a spurious elevation of its levels by the current methods of CSF acidification. These findings may explain the discrepancies observed with different methods of CSF processing and analysis. We suggest a method of inactivating CSF enzymes that yields stable glutamate levels under different storage conditions. Use of such a method may be necessary for clinical studies.