Research Information System
CLINICAL CHEMISTRY AND LABORATORY MEDICINE, vol.42, no.12, pp.1390-1395, 2004 (SCI-Expanded)
We examined the changes in circulating choline status in humans in response to major surgery by measuring serum free and phospholipid-bound choline concentrations before, during and 1-72 h after total abdominal hysterectomy, off-pump coronary artery graft surgery or brain tumor surgery. Preoperatively, the mean serum free and phospholipid-bound choline concentrations in patients scheduled for abdominal hysterectomy (n=26), off-pump coronary artery grafting surgery (n=34) or brain tumor surgery (n=24) were 12.3+/-0.5, 12.1+/-0.4 and 11.4+/-0.4 mumol/l, and 2495+/-75, 2590+/-115 and 2625+/-80 mumol/l, respectively. Serum free choline and phospholipid-bound choline concentrations decreased from these baseline values to 8.8+/-0.7 (p<0.001), 8.8 +/- 0.5 (p<0.001) and 8.2+/-0.4 mumol/l (p<0.001), and 2050 +/- 108 (p<0.001), 2166+/-59 (p<0.001) and 1884 +/- 104 mu mol/l (p<0.001) at 1 h after hysterectomy, off-pump bypass graft surgery or brain tumor surgery, respectively. They remained at these low levels for 24 h and then gradually increased towards the preoperative values at 48-72 h postoperatively. Serum cortisol increased postoperatively in all surgical patients for 24 h and its levels were inversely correlated with serum free and bound choline concentrations. These results show that circulating free and bound choline concentrations decrease for 72 h after total abdominal hysterectomy, off-pump coronary artery graft surgery or brain tumor surgery in humans.