title: Breakdown of choline-containing phospholipids in rat brain during severe weight loss.
abstract: Recent investigations in human anorectic patients indicated changes of brain choline metabolism. We used starved rats to investigate possible changes of brain choline metabolites during severe weight loss. Reductions of body weight by 15, 30 and 45% resulted in significant decreases of cerebral phosphatidylcholine and sphingomyelin levels. Concomitantly, the brain tissue content of glycerophosphocholine was increased while phosphocholine and free choline were unchanged. We conclude that severe weight loss is accompanied by phospholipase activation and breakdown of choline-containing phospholipids in the brain.
authors.affiliation: Central Institute of Mental Health, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Mannheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Göpel
authors.forename: Martin H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: Marianne
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Campanini
authors.forename: Jochen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Klein
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D002794:Choline / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D009748:Nutrition Disorders / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D015431:Weight Loss
chemical_list: D010743:Phospholipids; D002794:Choline