Acute and chronic effects of the trichothecene mycotoxin T-2 on rat brain regional concentrations of serotonin, tryptophan, and tyrosine.

Female rats were given 1 acute dose or chronic doses (once every 48 hr for 28 days) of T-2 toxin (10 micrograms/kg ip) or vehicle. At necropsy, each brain was subdivided into cerebellum, cerebral cortex (including telencephalon and diencephalon), and brainstem (including mesencephalon, metencephalon, and myelencephalon). Acute systemic T-2 toxin administration increased cerebellar and brainstem tryptophan while serotonin, a tryptophan metabolite, was decreased correspondingly in these same brain regions. Chronic T-2 administration increased cerebellar tyrosine and serotonin concentrations, while cortical tryptophan concentrations were also increased. These results indicate that both acute and chronic administration of T-2 toxin cause differential changes in regional distribution levels of tyrosine, tryptophan, and serotonin.