Therapeutic effect of orally applied cytidine diphosphate choline in mild and severe degrees of normobaric and normocapnic degrees of hypoxia of rats.

Eighty Wistar rats were maintained under conditions of chronic hypoxic for a period of 5 months. After gradual adaptation to the reduced oxygen content of the inhaled air, animals were kept on the levels of 15, 12, 10 and 7 vol% O2 and their behaviour in an open field was observed. One group of 40 animals received CDP-choline (cytidine diphosphate choline, Somazina; CAS 1477-47-0) at a dose of 100 mg/kg body weight in their food. Hypoxia-induced behavioural deteriorations were partly mitigated by this substance. Therapeutic application of CDP-choline was more effective than prophylactic administration. The efficiency of CDP-choline decreased after prolonged application. Under conditions of extreme hypoxia CDP-choline exhibited a life prolonging effect.