Brain Creatine Levels under the Mental Stress Conditions

Author: George Burjanadze
Co-authors: G. Burjanadze, N.Koshoridze, Z. Kuchukashvili, K. Menabde
Keywords: Mental stress, creatine, creatine kinase, arginine:glycine amidinotransferase, Guanidinoacetate methyltransferase
Annotation:

Stress represents one of the main problems of modern humanity. This study was conducted to understand more clearly alterations in creatine levels of brain of the laboratory rats under psycho-emotional stress induced by long-term social isolation. It was shown that under 30 day social isolation creatine amount in stressed individuals’ brain samples was arisen, simultaneously with decrease in creatine synthesizing enzymes (AGAT and GAMT) activity and creatine transporter protein (CrT) concentrations. Apart from this, it was observed that the changes were accompanied by down-regulation of creatine kinase (CK), while the enzyme’s concentration was decreased. Additionally it was shown that phosphocreatine (PCr) levels were also reduced, thus indicating down-regulation of Cr/CK/PCr shuttle that is really a crucial point for brain energy homeostasis. Finally it can be declared that long-term social isolation has negative influence on creatine metabolism in rat brain and increase in creatine level supposedly is due to unregulated oxidative stress, which led to formation of dimmeric mitochondrial CK and inhibition of creatine phosphorylation.