Changes in cerebroside synthetic activities of the brain with development of the rhesus monkey (macaca mulatta)

Cerebroside synthetic activities vary according to age in homogenates of the pons and cortical gray matter from brains of rhesus monkeys. The rate of utilization of uridine diphosphate (UDP) galactose and hydroxy fatty acid (HFA) ceramide for cerebroside synthesis by the pons was very low until 100 days after conception and reached a maximum at about 150 days (15 days before birth). This activity was very low in gray matter.

There were marked effects of the type of ceramide and UDP sugar added, as well as of the origin of the brain homogenates from gray matter or pons on the quantity and type of cerebroside synthetized.