ABSTRACT
The uridine nucleotides uridine-5'-triphosphate (UTP) and uridine-5'-diphosphate (UDP) have previously been identified in media from cultured cells. However, no study to date has demonstrated their presence in brain extracellular fluid (ECF) obtained in vivo. Using a novel method, we now show that UTP and UDP, as well as uridine, are detectable in dialysates of striatal ECF obtained from freely-moving rats. Intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration of uridine or exposure of striatum to depolarizing concentrations of potassium chloride increases extracellular uridine, UTP and UDP, while tetrodotoxin (TTX) decreases their ECF levels. Uridine administration also enhances cholinergic neurotransmission which is accompanied by enhanced brain levels of diacylglycerol (DAG) and inositol trisphosphate (IP3) and blocked by suramin, but not by PPADS (pyridoxalphosphate-6-azophenyl-2',4'-disulfonic acid) or MRS2578 suggesting a possible mediation of P2Y2 receptors activated by UTP. These observations suggest that uridine, UTP and UDP may function as pyrimidinergic neurotransmitters, and that enhancement of such neurotransmission underlies pharmacologic effects of exogenous uridine on the brain.
Subject(s)
Brain Chemistry , Corpus Striatum/chemistry , Corpus Striatum/metabolism , Receptors, Purinergic P2Y/metabolism , Uridine Diphosphate/analysis , Uridine Triphosphate/analysis , Acetylcholine/analysis , Animals , Choline/analysis , Corpus Striatum/drug effects , Extracellular Fluid/chemistry , Male , Rats , Rats, Sprague-Dawley , Uridine/pharmacologyABSTRACT
Fortasyn Connect (FC) is a specific nutrient combination designed to target synaptic dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease by providing neuronal membrane precursors and other supportive nutrients. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of FC on hippocampal cholinergic neurotransmission in association with its effects on synaptic membrane formation in aged rats. Eighteen-month-old male Wistar rats were randomized to receive a control diet for 4 weeks or an FC-enriched diet for 4 or 6 weeks. At the end of the dietary treatments, acetylcholine (ACh) release was investigated by in vivo microdialysis in the right hippocampi. On completion of microdialysis studies, the rats were sacrificed, and the left hippocampi were obtained to determine the levels of choline, ACh, membrane phospholipids, synaptic proteins, and choline acetyltransferase. Our results revealed that supplementation with FC diet for 4 or 6 weeks, significantly enhanced basal and stimulated hippocampal ACh release and ACh tissue levels, along with levels of phospholipids. Feeding rats the FC diet for 6 weeks significantly increased the levels of choline acetyltransferase, the presynaptic marker Synapsin-1, and the postsynaptic marker PSD-95, but decreased levels of Nogo-A, a neurite outgrowth inhibitor. These data show that the FC diet enhances hippocampal cholinergic neurotransmission in aged rats and suggest that this effect is mediated by enhanced synaptic membrane formation. These data provide further insight into cellular and molecular mechanisms by which FC may support memory processes in Alzheimer's disease.
Subject(s)
Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena/physiology , Cholinergic Neurons/physiology , Diet , Hippocampus/physiology , Synaptic Transmission/physiology , Acetylcholine/metabolism , Alzheimer Disease/physiopathology , Alzheimer Disease/therapy , Animals , Choline O-Acetyltransferase/metabolism , Hippocampus/metabolism , Male , Rats, Wistar , Synaptic Membranes/physiologyABSTRACT
Recent studies have demonstrated that arginine vasopressin (AVP) plays a crucial role in pain modulation. In addition, our previous studies have proven that centrally administered cytidine-5'-diphosphate-choline (CDP-choline; citicoline) elicits an analgesic effect in different pain models in rats. Given that CDP-choline enhances central and peripheral vasopressin levels, the present study was designed to investigate the role of central AVP receptors in the analgesic effect of CDP-choline in acute and chronic constriction injury-induced neuropathic pain models. For this purpose, rats were pretreated intracerebroventricularly with the AVP V1 or AVP V2 receptor antagonist 15 min before intracerebroventricular injection of CDP-choline or saline, and pain threshold was determined using the Randall-Selitto test. AVP V1 and AVP V2 receptor antagonist blocked the CDP-choline-induced analgesic effect either in acute or neuropathic models of pain in rats. These results suggest, for the first time, that central AVP receptors are involved in the CDP-choline-elicited analgesic effect.
