PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - N. Neff AU - G. V. Rossi AU - G. D. Chase AU - J. L. Rabinowitz TI - DISTRIBUTION AND METABOLISM OF MESCALINE-C IN THE CAT BRAIN DP - 1964 Apr 01 TA - Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics PG - 1--7 VI - 144 IP - 1 4099 - http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/144/1/1.short 4100 - http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/144/1/1.full SO - J Pharmacol Exp Ther1964 Apr 01; 144 AB - Autoradiograms of serial sectiomis and extractions of selected neuroanatomical areas of the brain removed from cats at various times after the intravenous injection of mescaline-α-C14 HCl indicated a relatively high concentration of radioactivity in cortical amid subcortical gray matter. In contrast, areas composed largely of myelinated fibers evidenced relatively little activity. Removal of mescaline from the blood, plasma and CSF followed a first order rate; the biological half-life of mescaline in plasma and CSF was 90 to 120 minutes. Maximum concentration of mescaline in the brain was attained between ½ and 2 hours, which corresponded approximateIy to the period of maximal intoxication as evaluated by gross observation. Only two radioactive components, identified as mescaline and 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenylacetic acid (TMPA), were found in cat brain, plasma, CSF and urine after the administration of C14- labeled mescaline. Chromatographic analysis did not reveal the presence, in these samples, of any of a number of other postulated metabolites of mescaline. Indirect evidence suggests that mescaline may be biotransformed to TMPA in cat brain. The Williams & Wilkins Company