title: The effect of cytidine-diphosphate choline (CDP-choline) on brain lipid changes during aging.
abstract: 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 (2-3H)glycerol and (Me-14C)choline were injected into the lateral ventricle of the brain as lipid precursors, and their incorporation into total lipid, water-soluble intermediates and choline-containing 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, 1983], 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 (14C)-containing water-soluble metabolites. As a consequence, the (3H)/(14C) ratio in total lipid and in isolated phosphatidylcholine and choline plasmalogen increased after CDP-choline treatment.
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D002794:Choline / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D003566:Cytidine Diphosphate Choline / Q000494:pharmacology*; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D014316:Tritium
chemical_list: D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D014316:Tritium; D003566:Cytidine Diphosphate Choline; D002794:Choline