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Creatine in Cell Metabolism and Its Protective Action in Cerebral Ischemia

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The aim of the present work was to review data on the involvement of creatine in cellular metabolism in nervous tissue. The questions discussed included the characteristics of the passage of creatine across the blood–brain barrier and expression of the creatine transporter. The mechanism of the protective effect of creatine in experimental models of cerebral ischemia is discussed. The action of creatine is shown to be linked with energy metabolism (formation of creatine phosphate) and inhibition of excitotoxicity. The antioxidant and antiapoptotic actions of creatine are assessed. The synthesis of compounds able to cross the blood–brain barrier without involvement of the transporter (CRT) resolves the problem of creatine delivery. The compounds with the greatest potential are creatine amides, which appear to be able to cross cell membranes using the amino acid transporter. The potential for the use of these compounds is evaluated.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pavlov St. Petersburg State Medical University, Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, St. Petersburg, Russia

    M. E. Kolpakova & T. D. Vlasov

  2. Almazov Federal Center for the Heart, Blood, and Endocrinology, Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, St. Petersburg, Russia

    M. E. Kolpakova & T. D. Vlasov

  3. Verteks Company, St. Petersburg, Russia

    O. S. Veselkina

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  1. M. E. Kolpakova
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  2. O. S. Veselkina
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  3. T. D. Vlasov
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Correspondence to M. E. Kolpakova.

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Translated from Rossiiskii Fiziologicheskii Zhurnal imeni I. M. Sechenova, Vol. 99, No. 8, pp. 889–900, August, 2013.

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Kolpakova, M.E., Veselkina, O.S. & Vlasov, T.D. Creatine in Cell Metabolism and Its Protective Action in Cerebral Ischemia. Neurosci Behav Physi 45, 476–482 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11055-015-0098-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11055-015-0098-4

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