The Pentose Phosphate Pathway in Brain during Development

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Abstract
Sprague-Dawley rats were delivered in our laboratory and decapitated at ages varying between 1 and 60 days. The concentrations of 6-phosphogluconate in extracts of the brain were determined in these litters and in adult rats. The highest content of 6-phosphogluconate was seen in brains of 3-day-old rats when it was at that age more than six times the adult level. Turnover rates for this same compound were determined by an in vitro technique at ages 1, 3 and 12 days and in the adult. We conclude that the pentose phosphate pathway is more active in rat brain during early development than in the adult, with a peak occurring at 3 days of life, indicating a possible link to nucleic acid synthesis.