Acetylcarnitine as a contamination in the radiochemical assay of acetylcholine synthesis in salivary glands and urinary bladders

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Abstract
In a previous radiochemical assay using anion exchange resin the capacity to synthesize acetylcholine in [rat] salivary glands was markedly overestimated unless suitable controls were introduced. Paper electrophoresis of the incubation mixture showed that the labeled acetyl group is not only transferred from acetyl-CoA to choline but also to carnitine in salivary glands and urinary bladders. The 2 enzymes responsible for these processes, choline acetyltransferase and carnitine acetyltransferase, behave differently following denervation of the glands and bladders. The adequacy of the introduced controls is demonstrated.