Concentrations of choline and phosphocholine in the fetal brain of the laboratory rat are unaffected by maternal diets deficient in folic acid, choline or methionine

Abstract

possibly by contributing to the synthesis of cell membranes via phosphocholine. The metabolism of choline is closely linked to that offolic acid and methionine and it is possible that maternal diets deÞcient in any one of these components may impact on the availability ofcholine or phosphocholine in the fetal brain. The aim of the present study was to measure choline and phosphocholine concentrations inthe fetal brain of rats fed B vitamin deÞcient diets.Pregnant rats were fed one of Þve experimental diets; complete diet (Control), deÞcient in folic acid (-F), deÞcient in folic acid and lowin choline (-F LC), deÞcient in folic acid and low in methionine (-F LM) or one deÞcient in all three key methyl donors, folic acid, cholineand methionine (-F LM LC) and for comparison one group of animals were fed the stock diet (Stock)