TY - JOUR
T1 - Acetyl-l-carnitine restores choline acetyltransferase activity in the hippocampus of rats with partial unilateral fimbria-fornix transection
AU - Piovesan, Paola
AU - Quatrini, Gianni
AU - Pacifici, Licia
AU - Taglialatela, Giulio
AU - Angelucci, Luciano
PY - 1995/2
Y1 - 1995/2
N2 - Transection of the fimbria-fornix bundle in adult rats results in degeneration of the septo-hippocampal cholinergic pathway, reminiscent of that occurring in aging as well as Alzheimer disease. We report here a study of the effect of a treatment with acetyl-l-carnitine (ALCAR) in three-month-old Fischer 344 rats bearing a partial unilateral fimbria-fornix transection. ALCAR is known to ameliorate some morphological and functional disturbances in the aged central nervous system (CNS). We used choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and acetyl cholinesterase (AChE) as markers of central cholinergic function, and nerve growth factor (NGF) levels as indicative of the trophic regulation of the medio-septal cholinergic system. ChAT and AChE activities were significantly reduced in the hippocampus (HIPP) ipsilateral to the lesion as compared to the contralateral one, while no changes were observed in the septum (SPT), nucleus basalis magnocellularis (NBM) or frontal cortex (FCX). ALCAR treatment restored ChAT activity in the ipsilateral HIPP, while AChE levels were not different from those of untreated animals, and did not affect NGF content in either SPT or HIPP.
AB - Transection of the fimbria-fornix bundle in adult rats results in degeneration of the septo-hippocampal cholinergic pathway, reminiscent of that occurring in aging as well as Alzheimer disease. We report here a study of the effect of a treatment with acetyl-l-carnitine (ALCAR) in three-month-old Fischer 344 rats bearing a partial unilateral fimbria-fornix transection. ALCAR is known to ameliorate some morphological and functional disturbances in the aged central nervous system (CNS). We used choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and acetyl cholinesterase (AChE) as markers of central cholinergic function, and nerve growth factor (NGF) levels as indicative of the trophic regulation of the medio-septal cholinergic system. ChAT and AChE activities were significantly reduced in the hippocampus (HIPP) ipsilateral to the lesion as compared to the contralateral one, while no changes were observed in the septum (SPT), nucleus basalis magnocellularis (NBM) or frontal cortex (FCX). ALCAR treatment restored ChAT activity in the ipsilateral HIPP, while AChE levels were not different from those of untreated animals, and did not affect NGF content in either SPT or HIPP.
KW - acetyl-l-carnitine
KW - aging
KW - choline acetyltransferase
KW - nerve growth factor
KW - partial fimbria-fornix transection
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0028968257&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0028968257&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/0736-5748(94)00070-J
DO - 10.1016/0736-5748(94)00070-J
M3 - Article
C2 - 7793306
AN - SCOPUS:0028968257
SN - 0736-5748
VL - 13
SP - 13
EP - 19
JO - International Journal of Developmental Neuroscience
JF - International Journal of Developmental Neuroscience
IS - 1
ER -