L-α-Glycerophosphorylcholine (alpha-GPC, choline alfoscerate, ''sn''-glycero-3-phosphocholine) is a natural

choline Choline is a cation with the chemical formula . Choline forms various Salt (chemistry), salts, such as choline chloride and choline bitartrate. An essential nutrient for animals, it is a structural component of phospholipids and cell membrane ...

compound found in the brain. It is also a

parasympathomimetic A parasympathomimetic drug, sometimes called a cholinomimetic drug or cholinergic receptor stimulating agent, is a substance that stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS). These chemicals are also called cholinergic drugs becaus ...

acetylcholine Acetylcholine (ACh) is an organic compound that functions in the brain and body of many types of animals (including humans) as a neurotransmitter. Its name is derived from its chemical structure: it is an ester of acetic acid and choline. Par ...

precursor which has been investigated for its potential for the treatment of

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

and other

dementia Dementia is a syndrome associated with many neurodegenerative diseases, characterized by a general decline in cognitive abilities that affects a person's ability to perform activities of daily living, everyday activities. This typically invo ...

s. Alpha-GPC rapidly delivers

to the brain across the

blood–brain barrier The blood–brain barrier (BBB) is a highly selective semipermeable membrane, semipermeable border of endothelium, endothelial cells that regulates the transfer of solutes and chemicals between the circulatory system and the central nervous system ...

and is a biosynthetic precursor of

. It is a non-prescription drug in most countries. The

FDA The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food ...

determined that intake of no more than 196.2 mg/person/day is considered

generally recognized as safe Generally recognized as safe (GRAS) is a United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) designation that a chemical or substance added to food is considered safe by experts under the conditions of its intended use. An ingredient with a GRAS d ...

(GRAS).

Production

Industrially, alpha-GPC is produced by the chemical or enzymatic deacylation of

phosphatidylcholine Phosphatidylcholines (PC) are a class of phospholipids that incorporate choline as a headgroup. They are a major component of biological membranes and can easily be obtained from a variety of readily available sources, such as egg yolk or soyb ...

enriched soya

phospholipids Phospholipids are a class of lipids whose molecule has a hydrophilic "head" containing a phosphate group and two hydrophobic "tails" derived from fatty acids, joined by an alcohol residue (usually a glycerol molecule). Marine phospholipids typi ...

followed by chromatographic purification. Alpha-GPC may also be derived in small amounts from highly purified soy

lecithin Lecithin ( ; from the Ancient Greek "yolk") is a generic term to designate any group of yellow-brownish fatty substances occurring in animal and plant tissues which are amphiphilic – they attract both water and fatty substances (and so ar ...

as well as from purified sunflower lecithin.

Safety

retrospective cohort study A retrospective cohort study, also called a historic cohort study, is a longitudinal cohort study used in medical and psychological research. A cohort of individuals that share a common exposure factor is compared with another group of equivale ...

involving 12 million participants in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

found that α-GPC users had a higher risk of stroke ( + 46 % ). The authors suggested that one possible explanation is that

dysbiosis Dysbiosis (also called dysbacteriosis) is characterized by a disruption to the microbiome resulting in an imbalance in the microbiota, changes in their functional composition and metabolic activities, or a shift in their local distribution. For e ...

may lead to α-GPC being metabolized into

trimethylamine Trimethylamine (TMA) is an organic compound with the formula N(CH3)3. It is a trimethylated derivative of ammonia. TMA is widely used in industry. At higher concentrations it has an ammonia-like odor, and can cause necrosis of mucous membranes ...

(TMA) in the gastrointestinal tract, and then to

trimethylamine N-oxide Trimethylamine ''N''-oxide (TMAO) is an organic compound with the formula . It is in the class of amine oxides. Although the anhydrous compound is known, trimethylamine ''N''-oxide is usually encountered as the dihydrate. Both the anhydrous and ...

(TMAO) in the liver, which has implications for cardiovascular health. However, they also noted that the study could be influenced by

confounding In causal inference, a confounder is a variable that influences both the dependent variable and independent variable, causing a spurious association. Confounding is a causal concept, and as such, cannot be described in terms of correlatio ...

variables, as α-GPC is often prescribed to individuals with preexisting health risks. A later

systematic review A systematic review is a scholarly synthesis of the evidence on a clearly presented topic using critical methods to identify, define and assess research on the topic. A systematic review extracts and interprets data from published studies on ...

and

meta-analysis Meta-analysis is a method of synthesis of quantitative data from multiple independent studies addressing a common research question. An important part of this method involves computing a combined effect size across all of the studies. As such, th ...

criticized the statistical analysis of the South Korean cohort study, describing it as questionable and imprecise. The review concluded that α-GPC has a favorable safety and tolerability profile and is effective in improving cognitive function and daily living in patients with

disorders of neurological origin, adult-onset

vascular dementia Vascular dementia is dementia caused by a series of strokes. Restricted blood flow due to strokes reduces oxygen and glucose delivery to the brain, causing cell injury and neurological deficits in the affected region. Subtypes of vascular dement ...

, and

Alzheimer’s disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

References

External links

Alpha-GPC on PsychonautWiki
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alpha-Gpc Cholinergics Dietary supplements Neurotransmitter precursors Nutrition Vitamins Neuropharmacology Glycerol esters