The effect of cytidine-diphosphate choline (CDP-choline) on brain lipid changes during aging

✍ Scribed by G. E. de Medio; G. Trovarelli; G. L. Piccinin; Professor G. Porcellati

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1984
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 634 KB
• Volume: 11
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0360-4012
• DOI: 10.1002/jnr.490110106

✦ Synopsis

Lipid synthesis has been tested in vivo in different brain areas of 12-month-old male rats. Cortex, striatum, brainstem, and subcortex of brain have been examined. The cerebellum was discarded. Mixtures of (2-'HH)glycerol and (Me-''C)choline were injected into the lateral ventricle of the brain as lipid precursors, and their incorporation into total lipid, water-soluble intermediates and cholinecontaining phospholipids was examined 1 hr after isotope injection. In another series of experiments cytidine-5'-diphosphate choline (CDP-choline) was injected intraventricularly to the aged rats 10 min before sacrifice with a simultaneous injection, and radioactivity assays were performed as above.

Distribution of radioactivity content of CDP-choline among brain areas 10 min after its administration showed a noticeable enrichment of the nucleotide and water-soluble-related compounds in the examined areas, but to a lesser degree in the cerebral cortex. The incorporation of labelled glycerol, which is severely depressed in aged rats in all four areas [Gaiti et al, 1982, 19831, was increased in all areas, although by different degrees. Incorporation of radioactive choline, which is also depressed by aging in all areas [Gaiti et al, 1982, 19831, was increased only in the cortex, and apparently decreased in the other areas. This last result is probably due to a dilution effect brought about by the administered cold CDP-choline upon the ( ''C)-containing water-soluble metabolites. As a consequence, the (3H)/( I4C) ratio in total lipid and in isolated phosphatidylcholine and choline plasmalogen increased after CDP-choline treatment.