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EFFECT OF TWO HEMICHOLINIUMS ON THE DISPOSITION AND DISTRIBUTION OF ENDOGENOUS FREE CHOLINE IN ANAESTHETIZED RABBITS
Author(s) -
GARDINER J.E.,
GWEE M.C.E.
Publication year - 1977
Publication title -
british journal of pharmacology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.432
H-Index - 211
eISSN - 1476-5381
pISSN - 0007-1188
DOI - 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1977.tb07507.x
Subject(s) - choline , endocrinology , medicine , respiration , chemistry , respiratory system , endogeny , biology , anatomy
1 The effects of hemicholinium no. 3 (HC‐3) and its p ‐terphenyl analogue (TPHC‐3) on the disposition and distribution of free choline were studied in rabbits under pentobarbitone anaesthesia. Free choline was determined by bioassay. 2 The respiration of animals given 0.35 μmol/kg of HC‐3 was hardly affected; however, 4 out of 6 rabbits given the same dose of TPHC‐3 exhibited varying degrees of respiratory impairment. All animals that received 2 injections (1 h apart) of either HC‐3 (1.4 μmol/kg) or TPHC‐3 (0.7 μmol/kg) developed respiratory difficulty about 1 h after the second injection. 3 The respiratory distress was accompanied by a 2 to 15‐fold rise in plasma choline concentration. This rise has been attributed to hypoxia. 4 In experiments in which choline has been infused it was observed that HC‐3 could impair the animal's ability to dispose of exogenous choline. In control rabbits neither HC‐3 nor TPHC‐3 produced changes in plasma choline concentrations unless the respiration was depressed. 5 Either HC‐3 or TPHC‐3 (both at 0.35 μmol/kg) significantly (P < 0.05) reduced the kidney choline concentration by 40% and 30% respectively; both hemicholiniums raised the lung choline concentration by about 35%. Only TPHC‐3 caused a significant rise (40%) in liver choline. The choline concentrations in other tissues were unaffected by the hemicholiniums.