title: Acetyl-L-carnitine enhances acetylcholine release in the striatum and hippocampus of awake freely moving rats.
abstract: The effect of acetyl-L-carnitine (ALC) on the spontaneous release of acetylcholine (ACh) in the striatum and hippocampus of freely moving rats was investigated using brain microdialysis coupled with HPLC-electrochemical detection. Systemic administration of ALC, in a dose-dependent manner, stimulated ACh release in both areas, while the D-enantiomer was substantially ineffective. The effect of ALC was strongly Ca2+ dependent and tetrodotoxin (TTX) sensitive. These features of an exocytotic and impulse flow-dependent mechanism suggest that the increase in ACh release is the result of ALC activation of a physiological mechanism in cholinergic neurons.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Pharmacology, University La Sapienza, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Imperato
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Ramacci
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Angelucci
mesh_terms: D000108:Acetylcarnitine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000502:physiology; D002331:Carnitine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D002799:Cholinergic Fibers / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013779:Tetrodotoxin / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D013779:Tetrodotoxin; D000108:Acetylcarnitine; D000109:Acetylcholine; D002331:Carnitine; D002118:Calcium