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Abstract
Larsson C, Simonsson P, Vecsei L, Ailing C. Long-term effects of lithium on receptor-mediated inositol lipid metabolism.
Many neurotransmitter receptors are coupled to a signal transduction system that generates two second messengers, inositol trisphosphate and diacylglycerol. Lithium is known to alter this system by inhibiting the dephosphorylation of inositol monophosphate (IP1). In the brain 50% of maximal inhibition is reached at therapeutic concentrations of lithium. It is therefore tempting to suggest that the inositol lipid signalling system could be a cellular target for lithium treatment. Our aim was to study the long-term effects of lithium on receptor-mediated inositol lipid metabolism by incubating neuroblastoma glioma hybrid cells (NG 108-15) with lithium. The lithium concentration used was the IC50 for the IP1 breakdown in these cells, thereby mimicking the situation in the brain during therapy. Long-term treatment with lithium decreased the basal labelling of [3H]-inositol lipids. When cells were stimulated with 10-6 M bradykinin, the increase of [3H]-inositol trisphosphate (IPO (a product of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate hydrolysis) was reduced in the lithium-treated cells. Furthermore, while bradykinin stimulation decreased the level of [3H]-inositol lipids in control cells, these levels increased in lithium-treated cells. These results suggest that lithium treatment alters the inositol lipid signalling system at several sites.