SPINAL SUBARACHNOID PERFUSION IN THE RAT: GLYCINE TRANSPORT FROM SPINAL FLUID1

Abstract
Abstract— A method was developed for perfusion of the spinal subarachnoid space in the rat. Bidirectional steady‐state fluxes of [14C]glycine between spinal fluid and plasma were measured. [14C]glycine clearance from spinal fluid was 5‐fold greater than its clearance from plasma. Glycine was transported out of spinal fluid by a saturable process, and the rate of transport was unaffected by the other depressant amino acids, GABA, β‐alanine, and taurine. Perfused [14C]glycine and [3H]GABA distributed in an intracellular compartment in spinal cord. The preparation should be useful for study of the release of these inhibitory amino acids from the intact spinal cord.