Chronic L‐α‐Glyceryl‐phosphoryl‐choline Increases Inositol Phosphate Formation in Brain Slices and Neuronal Cultures

Repeated, but not single injections of L‐α‐glyceryl‐phosphorylcholine (αGPC) significantly increased basal [³H]inositol monophosphate (InsP) formation in hippocampal, cortical, and striatal slices of male rats. The effect was dose‐dependent and was accompanied by an increased incorporation of [³H]inositol into the phospholipid fraction. Incubation of brain slices with different neurotransmitter antagonists, such as atropine, prazosin, or L‐2‐amino‐4‐phosphonobutanoate (L‐AP4) did not modify the increase in [³H]InsP formation produced by αGPC, suggesting that the effect is not mediated by an increased availability of a specific neurotransmitter. Similar results were obtained in cerebellar and cortico‐striatal neurones in primary culture exposed to daily addition of αGPC since the second day of maturation in vitro. We suggest that αGPC treatment may result in an increased rate of phospholipid synthesis, including the phosphoinositides available for signal transduction at central nervous system level. 1994 Nordic Pharmacological Society