Brain and plasma amino acid concentration in infant rats prenatally exposed to valproic acid

Autism spectrum disorder is associated with alterations in GABAergic and glutamatergic neurotransmission. Here, we aimed to determine the concentration of GABA, glutamate, glutamine, aspartate, taurine, glycine brain tissue plasma rats prenatally exposed valproic acid (VPA), a well-characterized experimental model autism. Pregnant were injected VPA (600mg/Kg) during twelfth-embryonic-day. Control saline. On fourteen-postnatal-day, from both groups (males females) anesthetized, euthanized by decapitation their dissected out. The frontal cortex, hippocampus, amygdala, stem cerebellum homogenized. Homogenates centrifuged supernatants used quantify amino concentrations HPLC coupled fluorometric detection. Blood samples obtained cardiac puncture; was separated deproteinized HPLC. We found that, rats, glutamate glutamine increased hippocampus cortex. did not find changes other regions or group respect control group. Our results suggest that exposure utero may impair inhibitory excitatory transmission infant brain.