Lack of major effects of ethanol, chlorpromazine, hexobarbital and haloperidol on brain gangliosides.

Ethanol, hexobarbital, chlorpromazine and haloperidol had no effect on the composition and total amount of gangliosides in rat and mouse brains. The gangliosides seemed to be resistant to ethanol and the above mentioned drugs. None of them either in single or repeated doses had a major effect on the sialic acid-containing glycosphingolipids. The results of this study are at variance with those reported by Klemm & Foster (Life Sci., 1986, 39, 897-902) who described a sharp decrease of the total level of brain gangliosides after injection of a single dose of ethanol.