Postmortem changes of 5-hydroxytryptamine and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid in mouse brain and their prevention by pargyline and microwave irradiation.

Postmortem (pm) manipulations of brain tissue of decapitated mice produced a maximum decline in 5-HT and a maximum rise in 5-HIAA of 20 and 40%, respectively. The pm treatments included freezing and thawing, mincing, and leaving over. Microwave irradiation or pretreatment of the animals with the enzymatic inhibitors NSD 1015 or pargyline suppressed the pm effects. The possible role of pm effects in the initial accumulation of 5-HT and decline of 5-HIAA in the brain following administration of pargyline was studied. Out data suggest that, when MAO inhibitors are used, 5-HT turnover might be overestimated by pm changes.