Citicoline whose chemical name choline cytosine nucleoside-5'-diphosphate monosodium salt, is a precursor for lecithin biosynthesis, and when brain function declines, the content of lecithin in brain tissue is significantly reduced.
Nicholin,Cyanamid,Italy,1971
Cytidine 5'-Diphosphocholine is used as antidepressant, 5HT uptake inhibitor.
ChEBI: CDP-choline is a member of the class of phosphocholines that is the chloine ester of CDP. It is an intermediate obtained in the biosynthetic pathway of structural phospholipids in cell membranes. It has a role as a human metabolite, a psychotropic drug, a neuroprotective agent, a Saccharomyces cerevisiae metabolite and a mouse metabolite. It is a member of phosphocholines and a member of nucleotide-(amino alcohol)s. It is functionally related to a CDP. It is a conjugate base of a CDP-choline(1+).
A 250 ml conical flask containing 30 ml of a reaction liquor (pH 7.0) having a
composition of 7.38 mg/ml of disodium salt of CMP (cytidine-5'-
monophosphate), 24 mg/ml of choline, 10 mg/ml of glucose, 100 mg/ml of
acetone-dried cells of Brevibacterium ammoniagenes ATCC 6872, 11.6 mg/ml
of monopotassium phosphate, 20 mg/ml of dipotassium phosphate and 2.96
mg/ml of magnesium sulfate, (MgSO4·7H2O), was subjected to culturing at
30°C for 4 hours. Cytidine diphosphate choline was formed and accumulated
at a concentration of 3.8 mg/ml in the culture liquor.
The pH of 1.2 liters of filtrate containing 3.8 mg/ml of cytidine diphosphate
choline, obtained by removing solid matters from the culturing liquor, was
adjusted to a pH of 8.5 with a 0.5 N KOH solution. The filtrate was passed
through a column of strongly basic anion exchange resin, Dowex 1 x 2 (formic
acid type). After washing the resin with water, a formic acid solution was
passed through the column with gradual increase in the concentration of
formic acid (until 0.04 N max.). A fraction of cytidine diphosphate choline was
collected by elution according to the so-called gradient elution method and
absorbed onto carbon powders. Then, elution was effected with acetone, and
the eluate was concentrated and dried. 1.3 g of cytidine diphosphate choline (Cytidine 5'-Diphosphocholine) powders were obtained.
Cerebral circulation stimulant
Citicoline (CDP-choline; Cytidine 5'-Diphosphocholine), a naturally occurring endogenous compound, is an essential intermediate in the biosynthesis of cell membrane phospholipids. Produced endogenously, citicoline serves as a choline donor in the metabolic pathways for the biosynthesis of acetylcholine and neuronal membrane phospholipids, mainly phosphatidylcholine. When a citicoline supplement is taken by mouth or intravenously, its two main components, cytidine and choline, are fully absorbed into the bloodstream. Once absorbed, citicoline is widely distributed throughout the body and can cross the blood-brain barrier and reach the central nervous system (CNS), where it is incorporated into phospholipids. Citicoline activates the biosynthesis of structural phospholipids that form neuronal membranes, increases brain metabolism, and influences levels of multiple neurotransmitters. Citicoline has increased acetylcholine, norepinephrine and dopamine levels in the central nervous system. Citicoline has been proposed to protect nerve cells after cerebral ischemia. In animal studies, it has been found to improve learning and memory. Citicoline may be used as a treatment for cerebral vascular disease after head trauma and cognitive impairment arising from multiple causes. Citicoline helps recovery from post-traumatic coma and neurological deficits in those who have had an ischemic cerebral vascular disease such as stroke. Additional uses of citicoline include treatment of age-related cognitive decline and degenerative neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's disease.
