Biomaterial Database

Effect of aging and acetyl-L-carnitine on energetic and cholinergic metabolism in rat brain regions. 1989

D Curti, and F Dagani, and M R Galmozzi, and F Marzatico

Institute of Pharmacology, University of Pavia, Italy.

The effect of aging and subchronic treatment with acetyl-L-carnitine (50 mg/kg per day) was studied on mitochondrial bioenergetics and cholinergic metabolism in non-synaptic mitochondria and synaptosomes isolated from cerebral cortex, hippocampus and striatum of rats aged 4, 11 and 18 months. Respiratory activity and cytochrome oxidase specific activity were unaffected by aging in non-synaptic mitochondria. In synaptosomes, pyruvate dehydrogenase, choline acetyltransferase and acetylcholinesterase specific activity remained unchanged, but the high-affinity choline uptake decreased in cerebral cortex and striatum of 18-month-old rats. Acetyl-L-carnitine treatment increased the high-affinity choline uptake in cerebral cortex of 18-month-old rats. The treatment caused also an increase in cytochrome oxidase activity in all the three cerebral regions and in choline uptake in the hippocampus, parameters that were not directly affected by aging processes.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D008928	Mitochondria	Semiautonomous, self-reproducing organelles that occur in the cytoplasm of all cells of most, but not all, eukaryotes. Each mitochondrion is surrounded by a double limiting membrane. The inner membrane is highly invaginated, and its projections are called cristae. Mitochondria are the sites of the reactions of oxidative phosphorylation, which result in the formation of ATP. They contain distinctive RIBOSOMES, transfer RNAs (RNA, TRANSFER); AMINO ACYL T RNA SYNTHETASES; and elongation and termination factors. Mitochondria depend upon genes within the nucleus of the cells in which they reside for many essential messenger RNAs (RNA, MESSENGER). Mitochondria are believed to have arisen from aerobic bacteria that established a symbiotic relationship with primitive protoeukaryotes. (King & Stansfield, A Dictionary of Genetics, 4th ed)	Mitochondrial Contraction,Mitochondrion,Contraction, Mitochondrial,Contractions, Mitochondrial,Mitochondrial Contractions
D010101	Oxygen Consumption	The rate at which oxygen is used by a tissue; microliters of oxygen STPD used per milligram of tissue per hour; the rate at which oxygen enters the blood from alveolar gas, equal in the steady state to the consumption of oxygen by tissue metabolism throughout the body. (Stedman, 25th ed, p346)	Consumption, Oxygen,Consumptions, Oxygen,Oxygen Consumptions
D011768	Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex	A multienzyme complex responsible for the formation of ACETYL COENZYME A from pyruvate. The enzyme components are PYRUVATE DEHYDROGENASE (LIPOAMIDE); dihydrolipoamide acetyltransferase; and LIPOAMIDE DEHYDROGENASE. Pyruvate dehydrogenase complex is subject to three types of control: inhibited by acetyl-CoA and NADH; influenced by the energy state of the cell; and inhibited when a specific serine residue in the pyruvate decarboxylase is phosphorylated by ATP. PYRUVATE DEHYDROGENASE (LIPOAMIDE)-PHOSPHATASE catalyzes reactivation of the complex. (From Concise Encyclopedia Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 3rd ed)	Complex, Pyruvate Dehydrogenase,Dehydrogenase Complex, Pyruvate
D011919	Rats, Inbred Strains	Genetically identical individuals developed from brother and sister matings which have been carried out for twenty or more generations or by parent x offspring matings carried out with certain restrictions. This also includes animals with a long history of closed colony breeding.	August Rats,Inbred Rat Strains,Inbred Strain of Rat,Inbred Strain of Rats,Inbred Strains of Rats,Rat, Inbred Strain,August Rat,Inbred Rat Strain,Inbred Strain Rat,Inbred Strain Rats,Inbred Strains Rat,Inbred Strains Rats,Rat Inbred Strain,Rat Inbred Strains,Rat Strain, Inbred,Rat Strains, Inbred,Rat, August,Rat, Inbred Strains,Rats Inbred Strain,Rats Inbred Strains,Rats, August,Rats, Inbred Strain,Strain Rat, Inbred,Strain Rats, Inbred,Strain, Inbred Rat,Strains, Inbred Rat
D001921	Brain	The part of CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM that is contained within the skull (CRANIUM). Arising from the NEURAL TUBE, the embryonic brain is comprised of three major parts including PROSENCEPHALON (the forebrain); MESENCEPHALON (the midbrain); and RHOMBENCEPHALON (the hindbrain). The developed brain consists of CEREBRUM; CEREBELLUM; and other structures in the BRAIN STEM.	Encephalon
D002331	Carnitine	A constituent of STRIATED MUSCLE and LIVER. It is an amino acid derivative and an essential cofactor for fatty acid metabolism.	Bicarnesine,L-Carnitine,Levocarnitine,Vitamin BT,L Carnitine
D002794	Choline	A basic constituent of lecithin that is found in many plants and animal organs. It is important as a precursor of acetylcholine, as a methyl donor in various metabolic processes, and in lipid metabolism.	Bursine,Fagine,Vidine,2-Hydroxy-N,N,N-trimethylethanaminium,Choline Bitartrate,Choline Chloride,Choline Citrate,Choline Hydroxide,Choline O-Sulfate,Bitartrate, Choline,Chloride, Choline,Choline O Sulfate,Citrate, Choline,Hydroxide, Choline,O-Sulfate, Choline
D002795	Choline O-Acetyltransferase	An enzyme that catalyzes the formation of acetylcholine from acetyl-CoA and choline. EC 2.3.1.6.	Choline Acetylase,Choline Acetyltransferase,Acetylase, Choline,Acetyltransferase, Choline,Choline O Acetyltransferase,O-Acetyltransferase, Choline
D003576	Electron Transport Complex IV	A multisubunit enzyme complex containing CYTOCHROME A GROUP; CYTOCHROME A3; two copper atoms; and 13 different protein subunits. It is the terminal oxidase complex of the RESPIRATORY CHAIN and collects electrons that are transferred from the reduced CYTOCHROME C GROUP and donates them to molecular OXYGEN, which is then reduced to water. The redox reaction is simultaneously coupled to the transport of PROTONS across the inner mitochondrial membrane.	Cytochrome Oxidase,Cytochrome aa3,Cytochrome-c Oxidase,Cytochrome Oxidase Subunit III,Cytochrome a,a3,Cytochrome c Oxidase Subunit VIa,Cytochrome-c Oxidase (Complex IV),Cytochrome-c Oxidase Subunit III,Cytochrome-c Oxidase Subunit IV,Ferrocytochrome c Oxygen Oxidoreductase,Heme aa3 Cytochrome Oxidase,Pre-CTOX p25,Signal Peptide p25-Subunit IV Cytochrome Oxidase,Subunit III, Cytochrome Oxidase,p25 Presequence Peptide-Cytochrome Oxidase,Cytochrome c Oxidase,Cytochrome c Oxidase Subunit III,Cytochrome c Oxidase Subunit IV,Oxidase, Cytochrome,Oxidase, Cytochrome-c,Signal Peptide p25 Subunit IV Cytochrome Oxidase,p25 Presequence Peptide Cytochrome Oxidase