What is glycerophosphorylcholine? How to prepare?

　　　Glycerol phosphorylcholine (L-A-Glycerylphorylcholine, GPC), also known as reduced phosphocholine, choline phosphoglycerol, triglycerides, is the product of the complete decomposition of two fatty acyls in the lecithin molecule, is a water-soluble phospholipid precursor and neurotransmitter naturally existing in the human body Years of experimental research and clinical application have shown that glycerol phosphorylcholine can not only improve people's memory and cognitive ability, but also has obvious effects on cerebral circulation decline and Alzheimer's disease. Known as an anti-aging nutrient for the brain. In addition, it can also resist muscle atrophy, vascular protection, etc. Therefore, glycerol phosphorylcholine has an important value in the pharmaceutical industry.

Preparation of GPC in organisms is generally divided into two phases. First, lecithin (water) in the cell is broken down into GPC, L-a-glycerol lecithinolamine (L-a-GPE), and L-a-glycerol lecicidic acid (L-A-GPE).

The main methods for separating and purifying GPC include solvent extraction, precipitation, recrystallization, column chromatography, etc. The solvent extraction method (absolute ethanol-ether = 3:1, v/v) was used to directly extract GPC from bovine pancreas, and the throughput was relatively small. Glycerol phosphorylcholine is purified by precipitating by-products in the form of mercury salts, in which excess mercury ions are removed by H2S and BaCO3, this purification method cannot completely remove mercury ions, and the unreacted lecithin should also remain, calcium salt precipitation is added, and finally calcium salts are removed with resin. This method is inefficient, complex, and ultimately yields.

The recrystallizer glycerol phosphorylcholine pure requires the removal of the catalyst and the recrystallization of the product, the whole process is complex and expensive, and is not suitable for commercial-scale production, while column chromatography is a convenient and economical method for glycerophosphorylcholine purification. Spectral column chromatography is divided into ion exchange resin chromatography, silicon column chromatography and alumina column chromatography according to the adsorbent.

Ion exchange resin chromatography is highlighted below. Early European patents and American patents required the use of a variety of anion and cation exchange resins to achieve the purpose of separation and purification. IN 2012, ZHU LI ET AL. SHOWED THAT D113 RESIN WAS USED AS THE MAIN ADSORPTION RESIN TO SEPARATE THE ALCOHOL DECOMPOSITION PRODUCTS OF GPC WITH LOW COST AND HIGH PURITY AND JORESIN. In 2013, Zheng Jianfei et al. applied for an invention patent that also proposed a scheme for separating and purifying natural GPC with corresponding macroporous weakly acidic cation exchange resins.

Glycerophosphorylcholine is a naturally occurring intermediate in the metabolism of water-soluble phospholipids in the human body and a biosynthetic precursor of the important neurotransmitters acetylcholine and PC. In the body, GPC plays an important role in supporting the function of the brain and nervous system by certain hormones and neurotransmitters such as acetylcholine and human production. Therefore, it has important medical applications for neurological and psychiatric disorders of the human brain.