Abstract
The presence of 22–30 mg% (3.66–5.0 μmoles/g) of urea in brain was reported by Marshall and Davis as early as 1914(1) Similar amounts were found in cat brain by Tallan et al.(2) The values given for rat brain by Sporn et al. (3) (4.9 μmoles/g) are in good agreement with the amount found by us (4.5 μmoles/g)(4,5) and by Gershenovitch et al. (3.8-.492 μmoles/g).(6) Roberts and Morelos found the level of urea in cerebral cortex to be equal to 5.49 μmoles/g.(7) According to Shaw and Heine,(8) the content of urea in rat brain cerebral hemispheres was 6.56, in midbrain 5.78, in cerebellum 7.68, and in pons medulla 4.76 μmoles/g. The figures presented show that the brain contains a considerable amount of urea, which is almost equal to that found in liver—5.0–6.0 μmoles/g.
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Buniatian, H.C. (1971). The Urea Cycle. In: Metabolic Turnover in the Nervous System. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-7166-7_7
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