Fatty liver reexamined choline and mitochondrial toxin amelioration

Figure 1 Choline’s conversion to phosphatidylcholine. This figure illustrates the cytidine diphosphate (CDP)-choline pathway, a critical metabolic route converting choline into phosphatidylcholine (PC), the predominant phospholipid constituting over 50% of mammalian cell membranes. Choline is initially phosphorylated by choline kinase to form phosphocholine, which cytidine triphosphate: Phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase then transforms into CDP-choline; subsequently, CDP-choline: 1,2-diacylglycerol cholinephosphotransferase catalyzes its conversion into PC. The diagram highlights PC’s amphipathic structure—featuring a hydrophilic head and hydrophobic tails—essential for membrane fluidity and signal transduction. In hepatocytes, where this pathway is notably active, PC facilitates very-low-density lipoprotein assembly, exporting triglycerides to prevent lipid accumulation. CDP: Cytidine diphosphate; PC: Phosphatidylcholine.