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How do the choline compounds change when apoptosis occurs?

September 24, 2008

Apoptosis is a programmed, active, highly selective mechanism of cell death. Abnormal regulation of apoptosis can lead to disorders such as cancer. The field of apoptosis research has undergone an explosion of new knowledge over the past decade. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy is a non-destructive and non-invasive technique that can provide complete structural analysis of a wide range of organic molecules in complex mixtures. This technique can be used to detect the metabolite alteration of apoptosis. Choline compounds are one kind of biologically interesting metabolites that can be detected by 1H-MRS. However, how the intensity choline compounds change when apoptosis occurs is still confused.

A research article to be published on 28 June 2008, in the World Journal of Gastroenterology addresses this question. The research team led by Prof. Wu RH from Department of Medical Imaging, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Shantou University Medical College used in vitro 9.4T high resolution magnetic resonance spectroscopy to study liver cell apoptosis because of toxicity of selenium and observe the alteration of choline compounds. Previous studies indicated a relationship between the change of total choline compounds and apoptosis. This research group further investigated the change of different ingredient of choline compounds when apoptosis took place in liver cells.

Through detailed quantitative analysis of choline compounds by using high-resolution 1H-MR spectroscopy, the change of choline compounds because of liver cell apoptosis had been observed. The concentration of different ingredient choline compounds in treatment group vs control group shown as follows (mean ± SD): total choline compounds was 5.07 ± 0.97 mmol/L vs 3.80 ± 1.15 mmol/L, P = 0.047; free choline was 1.07 ± 0.23 mmol/L vs 0.65 ± 0.19 mmol/L, P = 0.004. However, there were no statistical significances if the total concentrations of synthetical choline between the two groups were compared. This result is quite conformable with the result of Blankenberg FG. The results indicate the concentrations of total choline and free choline decline while synthetical choline is invariable when apoptosis takes place in liver cells at early period. These results give an answer for the puzzle of change concerning choline compounds at early period of apoptosis. However, further studies are needed to know how choline compounds change at the advanced and final stage of apoptosis.

World Journal of Gastroenterology