Hyperhomocysteinemia induced by methionine dietary nutritional overload modulates acetylcholinesterase activity in the rat brain.

Methionine is the only endogenous precursor of homocysteine, sulfur-containing amino acid and well known as risk factor for various brain disorders. Acetylcholinesterase is a serine protease that rapidly hydrolyzes neurotransmitter acetylcholine. It is widely distributed in different brain regions. The aim of this study was to elucidate the effects of methionine nutritional overload on acetylcholinesterase activity in the rat brain. Males of Wistar rats were randomly divided into control and experimental group, fed from 30th to 60th postnatal day with standard or methionine-enriched diet (double content comparing to standard, 7.7 g/kg), respectively. On the 61st postnatal day, total homocysteine concentration was determined and showed that animals fed with methionine-enriched diet had significantly higher serum total homocysteine concentrations comparing to control rats (p < 0.01). Acetylcholinesterase activity has been determined spectrophotometrically in homogenates of the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, thalamus, and nc. caudatus. Acetylcholinesterase activity showed tendency to decrease in all examined brain structures in experimental comparing to control rats, while statistical significance of this reduction was achieved in the cerebral cortex (p < 0.05). Brain slices were stained with haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and observed under light microscopy. Histological analysis of H&E-stained brain slices showed that there were no changes in the brain tissue of rats which were on methionine-enriched diet compared to control rats. Results of this study showed selective vulnerability of different brain regions on reduction of acetylcholinesterase activity induced by methionine-enriched diet and consecutive hyperhomocysteinemia.