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Effect of cytidine(5′)diphosphocholine (CDP-Choline) on the total urinary excretion of 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG) by rats and humans

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Summary

We examined the effects of orally administered cytidine(5′)-diphosphocholine (CDP-choline) on the total levels of 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenyl-glycol (MHPG) in human and rat urine. Four subjects who had been on a low-choline diet (less than 1 gm/day) for 24 hours received three doses of CDP-choline (2 gm each) at 8 a.m., 10 a.m., and noon; urines were collected at two-hour intervals after each dose. Rats received water for three days; then CDP-choline (100 mg/kg) or equimolar doses of choline for five days; then water again for three more days. Twenty-four hour urine samples were collected on each day of the study. The levels of MHPG in human urine increased by 45–68% when subjects were receiving CDP-choline (p<0.01). CDP-choline, but not choline, also elevated urinary MHPG significantly in rats (p<0.01). These data suggest that CDP-choline enhances norepinephrine release, and that this action may be mediated by more than just its choline content.

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Lopez G.-Coviella, I., Agut, J. & Wurtman, R.J. Effect of cytidine(5′)diphosphocholine (CDP-Choline) on the total urinary excretion of 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG) by rats and humans. J. Neural Transmission 66, 129–134 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01260908

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01260908

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