The effect of adrenaline on acetylcholine synthesis, choline acetylase and cholinesterase activity

The effect of adrenaline on acetylcholine synthesis, choline acetylase and cholinesterase activity. Acta Physiol. Pol. 1975, 26 (1): 45-54. The purpose of the study was to assess the participation of adrenaline in the processes of acetylcholine synthesis and breakdown in white rats. After intraperitoneal administration of adrenaline the content of acetylcholine in the tissues (brain, stomach, sciatic nerve, lumbar spinal cord) initially, slightly decreased, increased in the 30th, 60th, and 120th min, and then fell again below the initial value after 240 min. The rise in acetylcholine tissue content after administration of adrenaline seems to be due to its increased synthesis. This was also confirmed by in vitro investigations. The fall in the tissue acetylcholine content was associated with reduced synthesis of acetylcholine in the cerebral cortex. The increase in acetylcholine synthesis in the brain tissue after adrenaline given in vitro and in vivo does not seem to be caused by activation of choline acetylase. The activity of cholinesterase in the brain was not changed after adrenaline administered in vivo and in vitro.