Ephedrine長期投与によるモルモット脳の病理学的変化

ELECTRON MICROSCOPIC STUDIES ON THE EFFECTS OF THE LONG-TERM ADMINIS-TRATION OF EPHEDRINE ON THE BRAIN

　使用動物はAlbino系雄モルモット(体重250〜300g)20匹で，実験群10匹，対照10匹。実験群にはephedrineHCl 2.5mg/kgを連日380日間にわたり下腹部皮下に注射した。

　行動面では対照群との間に特異な差は見出されなかつた。

　微細構造面では実験群における変化は脳の広汎にわたつて見出されるがとくに間脳で強く，変化は神経細胞のGolgi装置の発達，無髄線維やsynapse内におけるmitochondriaの肥大・崩壊，synaptic vesiclesの異常な肥大像，血管の基底膜の肥厚などが認められた。

　これらの変化はいずれもephedrineによるものと思われ，長期ephedrine乱用による精神症状の発現とかなり密接な関係があると考えられる。

Male guinea pigs of albino strain weighing 250-300g were used, 10 in the experimental group and 10 in untreated controls, a total of 20 animals. In the experimental group, 2.5mg/kg of ephedrine HCl was injected daily subcutaneously in to the lower abdomen for 380 days.

The experimental guinea pigs showed no differ-ences from the control group in behavior.

In experimental group, the ultrastructural changes were found ubiquitously in the brain, especially in the mesencephalon; the Golgi-apparatus in thenerve cells was remarkably developed, the mitocho-ndria in the unmyelinated nerve fibres and the synapses hypertrophied and destructed, then synaptic vesicles remarkably hypertrophied, and the base-ment membrane of the blood vessels hypertrophied.

These changes were due to the effects of ephed-rine HC1, and may have deep relation to the psy-chiatric symptoms induced by long term adminis-tration of ephedrine.