2-DIMETHYLAMINOETHANOL (DEANOL) INDEED A PRECURSOR OF BRAIN ACETYLCHOLINE - GAS-CHROMATOGRAPHIC EVALUATION

Abstract

Acute adminstration of deanol-p-acetamidobenzoate (Deaner; deanol) has been reported to elevate brain choline (Ch) and acetylcholine (ACh) levels. A specific and sensitive gas chromatographic assay to measure deanol levels in tissue was developed and was used to study the effect of acute deanol administration on deanol, ACh and Ch levels in rodent brains. This procedure was quantitative and yielded reproducible results over a wide range of deanol concentrations (0.30-200 nmol). In control rodent [rats and mice] brain, liver, heart, lung and plasma, no free endogenous deanol (< 1 nmol/g) was detected. After deanol administration, deanol was found in the tissue. Regardless of deanol pretreatment time (1-30 min) or doses (33.3-3000 mg/kg i.p.) used, no increase in mouse whole brain ACh levels was found. There was no detectable elevation in ACh levels in rat whole brain, cortex, striatum or hippocampus after a 15 min pretreatment with 550 mg/kg of deanol (i.p.). The only elevation in ACh levels occurred selectively in the striatum of mice pretreated with a massive dose (900 mg/kg i.p.) of deanol for 30 min. This selective increase in striatal ACh levels could not be related to levels of deanol in the striatum because there was no greater accumulation of deanol in the striatum than in other brain areas tested or in whole brain. The data emphasized the need for further investigation into the mode of action of deanol and questioned its suggested role as an immediate precursor of ACh synthesis in the CNS.