Tricarboxylic acid cycle metabolites during ischemia in isolated perfused rat heart

Isolated rat hearts were, after a retrograde perfusion by the Langendorff procedure, rendered ischemic by lowering the aortic pressure to zero. The rate of proteolysis and temporal patterns of the changes in the concentrations of the metabolites of the tricarboxylic acid cycle, related amino acids, ammonia, and breakdown products of the adenine nucleotides were determined. The most significant change in the amino acid metabolism was a decrease of the proteolysis to one-tenth and a large accumulation of alanine, which was almost stoichiometric to the degradation of aspartate plus asparagine. The accumulation of malate and succinate was small compared with the metabolic net fluxes of aspartate and alanine. The metabolic balance sheet suggests that aspartate was converted to alanine. A prerequisite for this would be a feed in of carbon of aspartate to the tricarboxylic acid cycle as oxalacetate, reversal of the malate dehydrogenase, and production of pyruvate by the malic enzyme reaction. Alanine accumulating during ischemia is not glycolytic in origin but occurs through a concerted operation of anaplerotic reactions and tricarboxylic acid cycle metabolite disposal. The data also suggest that the potentially energy-yielding reduction of fumarate to succinate is not significant in the ischemic myocardium.     

Effect of Nilzan and albendazole on the absorptive surfaces of Haemonchus contortus (Nematoda)--a histoenzymic study

Haemonchus contortus, incubated in 10 micrograms/ml and 50 micrograms/ml concentrations of Nilzan and albendazole in Tyrode solution were stained for histoenzymatic demonstration of various phosphatases, oxido-reductases and esterases. The intestine showed major alterations after drug treatments. The alkaline phosphatases (AkPase), adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase), glucose-6-phosphatase, succinic dehydrogenase (SDH), glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH), reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate diaphorase and reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide diaphorase showed a decreased activity in intestine after Nilzan treatment, whereas lactic dehydrogenase (LDH), glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PD) and monoamine oxidase resisted increased reaction. The albendazole treatment resulted in altered distribution pattern of the AkPase, ATPase, SDH, and GDH; while LDH, G-6-PD, and non-specific esterases exhibited slightly enhanced activity in the epithelium. The functional significance of these changes has been fully discussed.     

Age-dependent changes in glutamate oxidation by non-synaptic and synaptic mitochondria from rat brain

The oxidation of glutamate by non-synaptic and synaptic mitochondria from brains of 3-, 12- and 24-month-old rats was studied. With glutamate plus malate as substrates, non-synaptic mitochondria showed higher respiration rates than synaptic mitochondria in all the three age groups studied. The rate of oxidation of L-[1-¹⁴C] glutamate and the activities of NAD-glutamate dehydrogenase and aspartate aminotransferase were also higher in non-synaptic mitochondria compared with synaptic mitochondria in three age groups. With glutamate plus malate as substrates, a significant reduction in state 3 respiration was observed in both mitochondrial populations from 12- and 24-month-old rats compared with 3-month-old animals. Although an age-dependent decrease in the oxidation of L-[1-¹⁴C] glutamate was observed in both non-synaptic and synaptic mitochondria from aging rats, the oxidation of [1-¹⁴C]-2-oxoglutarate was unaltered in non-synaptic and synaptic mitochondria from senescent rats. The activity of NAD-glutamate dehydrogenase was decreased with age in both mitochondrial populations, whereas aspartate aminotransferase was not altered with age. The results indicate that the oxidation rate of glutamate in rat brain mitochondria is decreased during aging.     

Setaria cervi: Enzymes in microfilariae and in vitro action of antifilarials

Summary Microfilariae of bovine filarial parasiteSetaria cervi are equipped with the enzymes of glycolysis, pentose phosphate and PEP-succinate pathways and thus resemble the adult form in its metabolic pattern. Malate dehydrogenase was the most active enzyme in microfilariae followed by lactic dehydrogenase and fumarase, while phosphoglucoisomerase, PEP-carboxykinase and FDP-aldolase were comparatively less active. The very low ratio of PK/PEPCK inS. cervi microfilariae indicates active fixation of CO₂ into PEP to produce oxalacetate. Centperazine and diethylcarbamazine significantly inhibited PEP-carboxykinase, fumarate reductase and succinic dehydrogenase, suggesting that these antifilarials probably exert microfilaricidal action by blocking the PEP-succinate pathway.     

Action of bacterial lipopolysaccharide on the respiration of mouse liver mitochondria.

Escherichia coli O127:B8 lipopolysaccharide (LPS) inhibited oxygen consumption by isolated mouse liver mitochondria at 10 micrograms of LPS per mg of protein when glutamate + malate was the substrate and adenosine 5'-diphosphate had been added (state 3 respiration), but had little effect when adenosine 5'-diphosphate was not added (state 4 respiration). LPS stimulated state 4 respiration at 10 micrograms/mg of mitochondrial protein when succinate was the substrate but had little effect on state 3 respiration. Lipid A from Shigella sonnei at 2 micrograms/mg of mitochondrial protein also stimulated state 4 respiration but did not affect state 3 respiration with succinate as the substrate. Lipid A, unlike LPS, caused a decrease in the adenosine 5'-diphosphate/O ratio. LPS at 100 micrograms/mg of mitochondrial protein impaired the reduction of cytochromes aa3, c, and b when succinate was the substrate but not when reduced nicotinamide dinucleotide, dithionite, or glutamate was the substrate.     

Probing the cardiac malate–aspartate shuttle non‐invasively using hyperpolarized [1,2‐13C2]pyruvate

Previous studies have demonstrated that using hyperpolarized [2‐¹³C]pyruvate as a contrast agent can reveal ¹³C signals from metabolites associated with the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. However, the metabolites detectable from TCA cycle‐mediated oxidation of [2‐¹³C]pyruvate are the result of several metabolic steps. In the instance of the [5‐¹³C]glutamate signal, the amplitude can be modulated by changes to the rates of pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) flux, TCA cycle flux and metabolite pool size. Also key is the malate–aspartate shuttle, which facilitates the transport of cytosolic reducing equivalents into the mitochondria for oxidation via the malate–α‐ketoglutarate transporter, a process coupled to the exchange of cytosolic malate for mitochondrial α‐ketoglutarate. In this study, we investigated the mechanism driving the observed changes to hyperpolarized [2‐¹³C]pyruvate metabolism. Using hyperpolarized [1,2‐¹³C]pyruvate with magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) in the porcine heart with different workloads, it was possible to probe ¹³C–glutamate labeling relative to rates of cytosolic metabolism, PDH flux and TCA cycle turnover in a single experiment non‐invasively. Via the [1‐¹³C]pyruvate label, we observed more than a five‐fold increase in the cytosolic conversion of pyruvate to [1‐¹³C]lactate and [1‐¹³C]alanine with higher workload. ¹³C–Bicarbonate production by PDH was increased by a factor of 2.2. Cardiac cine imaging measured a two‐fold increase in cardiac output, which is known to couple to TCA cycle turnover. Via the [2‐¹³C]pyruvate label, we observed that ¹³C–acetylcarnitine production increased 2.5‐fold in proportion to the ¹³C–bicarbonate signal, whereas the ¹³C–glutamate metabolic flux remained constant on adrenergic activation. Thus, the ¹³C–glutamate signal relative to the amount of ¹³C–labeled acetyl‐coenzyme A (acetyl‐CoA) entering the TCA cycle was decreased by 40%. The data strongly suggest that NADH (reduced form of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) shuttling from the cytosol to the mitochondria via the malate–aspartate shuttle is limited on adrenergic activation. Changes in [5‐¹³C]glutamate production from [2‐¹³C]pyruvate may play an important future role in non‐invasive myocardial assessment in patients with cardiovascular diseases, but careful interpretation of the results is required.     

Acute suppression of hepatic gluconeogenesis by glucose in the intact animal.

Within 2 h after glucose administration to fasting rats the incorporation of radioactive lactate into blood glucose and liver glycogen is decreased. Using tryptophan, which facilitates the study of gluconeogenesis prior to the phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) carboxykinase step by increasing the level of certain hepatic metabolites, we have found that in animals fasted for 24 h glucose markedly decreased hepatic malate and aspartate concentrations without a corresponding fall in that of pyruvate, suggesting a decrease in pyruvate carboxylase activity. An inhibitor of fatty acid oxidation, 4-pentenoic acid, similarly decreased the accumulation of these intermediates, and octanoic acid significantly lessened the fall in malate and aspartate with glucose. The changes in tissue metabolite levels were consistent with inhibition of the liver pyruvate carboxylase reaction by glucose treatment, and with abolition of this inhibition by octanoate administration. Alanine and glutamate levels in the liver of tryptophan-treated animals were decreased 90 and 32%, respectively, by glucose. Thus, glucose administration in the whole animal acutely decreases gluconeogenesis by apparently inhibiting the pyruvate carboxylase step and decreasing alanine levels in the liver.     

Effect of a nitric oxide donor on nitroxergic nerve fibers in the rat dura mater

Metabolic pathways underlying the regeneration of reduced glutathione were investigated in acutely isolated metabolically active mitochondria from rat forebrain. The application of hydrogen peroxide to the organelles was accompanied by a transient increase in glutathione disulfide. The recovery of reduced glutathione was significantly improved in the presence of alternatively succinate, malate, citrate, isocitrate, or beta-hydroxybutyrate. Inhibition of succinate dehydrogenase by malonate abolished the beneficial effect of succinate on the reduction of glutathione disulfide but did not influence the effect of isocitrate. Fluorocitrate, an inhibitor of aconitase, blocked the effect exerted by citrate but did not inhibit the effects of malate or beta-hydroxybutyrate. Uncoupling of the respiratory chain by carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone prevented the beneficial effect of beta-hydroxybutyrate but did not abolish the improved reduction of mitochondrial glutathione disulfide in the presence of malate and isocitrate. These results suggest that NADP+-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase as well as malic enzyme and nicotinamide nucleotide transhydrogenase contribute to the regeneration of NADPH required for the reduction of glutathione disulfide in brain mitochondria.     

Myocardial enzyme activities in guinea pigs during development

The activities of hexokinase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, and glycolytic enzymes were higher in the fetal myocardium of the guinea pig than at birth and fell progressively during the 1st mo of life. The alphaHBDH/LDH ratio of H to M subunits of lactate dehydrogenase, was low in the fetus and continued to rise during the 1st mo after birth. The distinction between the left and right ventricular activities of lactate dehydrogenase, which is clear in adult guinea pigs, was absent in the fetus and appeared during postnatal development. Glycogen phosphorylase activity was low in the fetus and at birth. The activities of beta-hydroxyacylcoenzyme A dehydrogenase, succinate dehydrogenase, malate dehydrogenase, and aspartate aminotransferase were low in the fetus, but had reached, or even temporarily exceeded, normal adult levels at birth. Palmitylcarnitine transferase activity was also low in the fetal heart compared with the newborn but continued to increase substantially during the first 2 wk after birth.     

Ethylmalonic acid impairs brain mitochondrial succinate and malate transport

Tissue accumulation and high urinary excretion of ethylmalonic acid (EMA) occur in ethylmalonic encephalopathy (EE) and short chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (SCADD). Although these autosomal recessive disorders are clinically characterized by neurological abnormalities, the mechanisms underlying the brain damage are poorly known. Considering that little is known about the neurotoxicity of EMA and that hyperlacticacidemia occurs in EE and SCADD, we evaluated the effects of this metabolite on important parameters of oxidative metabolism in isolated rat brain mitochondria. EMA inhibited either ADP-stimulated or uncoupled mitochondrial respiration supported by succinate and malate, but not by glutamate plus malate. In addition, EMA mildly stimulated oxygen consumption by succinate-respiring mitochondria in resting state. Methylmalonic acid (MMA), malonic acid (MA) and butylmalonic acid (BtMA) had a similar effect on ADP-stimulated or uncoupled respiration. Furthermore, EMA-, MMA- and BtMA-induced inhibitory effects on succinate oxidation were significantly minimized by nonselective permeabilization of the mitochondrial membranes by alamethicin, whereas MA inhibitory effect was not altered. In addition, MA was the only tested compound that reduced succinate dehydrogenase activity. We also observed that EMA markedly inhibited succinate and malate transport through the mitochondrial dicarboxylate carrier. Mitochondrial membrane potential was also reduced by EMA and MA, but not by MMA, using succinate as electron donor, whereas none of these compounds was able to alter the membrane potential using glutamate plus malate as electron donors. Taken together, our results strongly indicate that EMA impairs succinate and malate uptake through the mitochondrial dicarboxylate carrier.     

Differential response of enzymes of glutamate metabolism in neuronal perikarya and synaptosomes in acute hyperammonemia in rat

Activity levels of the enzymes of glutamate metabolism were determined in the neuronal perikarya and synaptosomes isolated from the cerebral cortex of normal and hyperammonemic rats. In neuronal perikarya, the activities of glutamate dehydrogenase, aspartate, alanine aminotransferases and glutamine synthetase were elevated in hyperammonemic states. In synaptosomes, glutamate dehydrogenase and aspartate aminotransferase were suppressed, while glutamine synthetase and glutaminase were elevated. These results suggested the involvement of neuronal perikarya in ammonia detoxification at least in acute hyperammonemic states.     

Pentylenetetrazol kindling and factors of glutamate transmitter metabolism in rat hippocampus.

Male Wistar rats administered repetitively with pentylenetetrazol developed a dose-dependent enhancement of seizure behaviour referred to as pentylenetetrazol kindling. After a daily dose of 40 mg pentylenetetrazol/kg or physiological saline (control rats) injected intraperitoneally for a period of two weeks, hippocampal tissue was studied autoradiographically for high-affinity uptake of [3H]glutamate and, by activity staining, for aspartate aminotransferase and glutamate dehydrogenase. Most prominent changes were found in neuropil areas known to be endowed with glutamatergic structures. The uptake capacity of glutamate decreased by 48% (maximum rate), whilst activities of aspartate aminotransferase and glutamate dehydrogenase elevated to 140 and 130%, respectively. Cytochrome c oxidase activity was found to be unaffected. The findings indicate an important role of factors of the glutamate metabolism in the kindling process with respect to the production, utilization, and availability of transmitter glutamate.     

Studies of hepatic mitochondrial structure and function: morphometric and biochemical evaluation of in vivo perturbation by arsenate.

Ultrastructural morphometric and biochemical studies were conducted on hepatic mitochondria from control rats and rats treated in vivo with arsenate to examine changes in interrelationships between mitochondrial structure and biochemical functions. Morphometric analysis disclosed an over-all 1.2-fold increase in the relative mitochondrial volume density and 1.4-fold increase in the surface density of the inner mitochondrial membrane of arsenate-exposed rats. These structural changes were associated with a 1.5-fold increase in 14C-leucine incorporation into all mitochondrial proteins, which was primarily associated with the acid-insoluble membranous fraction. Mitochondria from arsenate-treated rats showed a marked disruption of normal conformational behavior with depression of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD)-linked substrate oxidation and a resulting in vivo increase in the mitochondrial [NAD] to [NADH] ratio. Observed changes in mitochondrial membranes from arsenate exposure also resulted in 1.5- to 2-fold increases in the specific activities of the membrane marker enzymes monoamine oxidase, cytochrome oxidase, and Mg2+-ATPase. Activity of malate dehydrogenase, which is localized in the mitochondrial matrix, was unchanged. The results of this study demonstrate a positive quantitative in vivo correlation between mitochondrial structure and function and indicate a marked dependency upon membrane integrity for normal maintenance of the specific biologic activities performed by this organelle in vivo.     

Fermentation and the properties of some enzymes of carbohydrate metabolism in the trematode Calicophoron ijimai

Glycogen content, glucose consumption and the production of metabolic end products by Calicophoron ijimai were determined under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. The major end products of fermentation were identified as lactic, acetic, propionic, isobutyric and α-methylbutyric acids, propionic acid predominating. The activities and properties of some of the enzymes of carbohydrate metabolism were determined. The worms showed high phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, malate dehydrogenase and malate dehydrogenase (decarboxylating) but relatively low pyruvate kinase and very low lactate dehydrogenase activities. The pH optima, coenzyme, cofactor and ionic requirements of the enzymes were similar to those of other helminths. Malate dehydrogenase had an 8-fold greater affinity for oxaloacetate than malate, and was about 14 times more active for oxaloacetate reduction than malate oxidation. Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase was 2.4 times more active and had a 2-fold greater affinity for phosphoenolpyruvate and dinucleotide than pyruvate kinase. The low activities of lactate dehydrogenase and pyruvate kinase but high activities of malate dehydrogenase and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase suggest that anaerobic carbohydrate catabolism follows the fumarate reductase pathway.     

Changes in glutamate-related enzyme activities in the striatum of the rat following lesion of corticostriatal fibres

The behaviour of enzymes putatively involved in glutamate/aspartate transmitter metabolism (glutamate dehydrogenase, aspartate amino-transferase, alanine aminotransferase, gamma-glutamyl-transpeptidase) was studied in the striatum 3, 7, 14 days and 7 weeks after mechanical destruction of corticostriatal fibres. For a period of up to seven days after unilateral lesion, enzyme activities were significantly diminished (by up to 13% based on protein) in the ipsilateral striatum as compared to the striatum of the intact side. Later, the enzyme activities in the ipsilateral striatum recovered. After seven weeks, an increase was observed for glutamate dehydrogenase activity, whereas the activity of alanine aminotransferase showed a transient rise enzyme levels is interpreted as being attributable to the destruction of nerve endings which are considered to be glutamatergic, interfering with various compensating processes (e.g. glial cell proliferation) which occur with advancing times after lesion.     

Circadian organization of thirteen liver and six brain enzymes of the mouse

The activities of 13 liver and 6 brain enzymes were studied in 7–12 week old CD₂F₁ male mice that had been fed ad libitum and standardized either to 12 hours of light (0600–1800) alternating with 12 hours of darkness (1800–0600) (LD 12:12), or to a reversed light-dark cycle (darkness 0600–1800; light 1800–0600) (DL 12:12). Three separate studies were performed on two different days; in each experiment, subgroups of 14 animals were sacrificed at 3-hour intervals. Livers were assayed for: isocitrate dehydrogenase, glutamate dehydrogenase, lactate dehydrogenase, alcohol dehydrogenase, glutathione reductase, glyoxylate reductase, L-alanine aminotransferase, glutamate oxalacetate transaminase, pyruvate decarboxylase, fructose-1-phosphate aldolase, fructose diphosphate aldolase, fructose 1,6-diphosphatase, and fatty acid synthetase. Brains were assayed for phosphoglucose isomerase, adenosine triphosphatase, creatine phosphokinase, pyruvate kinase, adenylate kinase, and malate dehydrogenase. All 19 enzymes demonstrated a prominent circadian rhythm in at least one experiment. Moreover, each rhythmic variable showed a statistically significant fit to a 24-hour cosine(sine) curve by the method of least squares. In general, peak activities of the liver enzymes analyzed were associated with the beginning of the dark cycle and initiation of the animal's activity, while the group of brain enzymes had peak activities which occurred at the beginning of the animals' rest span and were near the beginning of the light cycle. The phasing of each of the rhythms could be reversed within a two-week span after reversing the environmental light-dark cycle 180°.     

Hyperammonemic alterations in the metabolism of glutamate and aspartate in rat cerebellar astrocytes.

Pathophysiological concentrations of ammonia, both in vivo and in vitro, suppressed the production of 14CO2 from 14C-labelled glutamate and aspartate in astrocytes isolated from the rat cerebellum. Suppression of 14CO2 production with (aminooxy)acetic acid but not with glutamic acid diethyl ester indicated that transamination plays a major role in the oxidation of glutamate carbons. Activities of the enzymes, aspartate amino-transferase, alanine aminotransferase and glutaminase were decreased while those of glutamate dehydrogenase and glutamine synthetase were enhanced in the cerebellar astrocytes during hyperammonemic states. These results suggest an impairment of astrocytic glutamate metabolism during hyperammonemia.     

Computer simulation of metabolism in pyruvate-perfused rat heart. II. Krebs cycle.

A realistic metabolic model of the tricarboxylic acid cycle in the perfused rat heart was constructed to help explain the sequence of biochemical events regulating the metabolism of exogenous pyruvate following a large increase in work load. The unchelated Mg2+ level was the most important controlling factor. The resulting mixture of chelated and unchelated nucleotides and tribasic acids effected coordinated control of citrate synthase, aconitase, isocitrate dehydrogenase, succinyl CoA synthetase, fumarase, and nucleoside diphosphokinase, because Mg2+-chelates are generally substrates whereas unchelated species are inhibitors. Succinate dehydrogenase is largely controlled by the ubiquinone redox potential. The fluxes through alpha-ketoglutarate and malate dehydrogenases are largely dependent on thepyridine nucleotide redox potential, but the succinyl CoA-to-CoASH ratio strongly affects the former enzyme as well. The model predicts an accumulation of succinate during the transition to higher work output.     

Untersuchungen zum Glutamat/Aspartat-Metabolismus von Candida maltosa

Candida maltosa mutants deficient in the metabolism of glutamate aspartate were isolated. One of these mutants required asparagine, the second asparagine or aspartate, and the third grew with various amino acids (glutamate, glutamine, aspartate, asparagine, proline, arginine, ornithine, or lysine) or excess of ammonia. The biochemical defects were as follows: asparagine synthetase (asn1), aspartate aminotransferase (asp1), and glutamate synthase (glu1). On the basis of these data and additional biochemical studies we suggest that glutamate synthase is required for the assimilation of ammonia, and that glutamate dehydrogenase may be involved in glutamate production only in the presence of excess of ammonia. Aspartate is only synthesized from glutamate via transamination, while the synthesis of asparagine from aspartate is catalyzed by an asparagine synthetase.     

Malate-aspartate and alpha-glycerophosphate shuttle enzyme levels in human skeletal muscle: methodological considerations and effect of endurance training

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the levels of the malate-aspartate and alpha-glycerophosphate shuttle enzymes in human skeletal muscle are affected by endurance training. The approach used was to compare six untrained and six endurance-trained subjects as well as through performing a longitudinal study of endurance training on eight untrained subjects. Biopsy samples were obtained from the lateral part of the quadriceps femoris muscle. The trained muscles were characterized by higher levels of oxidative enzymes (55%) as well as enhanced capillary supply (30%). In both the cross-sectional and longitudinal studies, the malate-aspartate shuttle enzyme levels were about 50% higher in the trained state (cytoplasmic malate dehydrogenase 36%, mitochondrial malate dehydrogenase 46%, cytoplasmic aspartate aminotransferase 52% and mitochondrial aspartate aminotransferase 48%). Contrary to this, the alpha-glycerophosphate shuttle enzyme levels did not differ significantly (cytoplasmic and mitochondrial glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase: 10 and -4%, respectively). The activity ratios of the enzymes involved in respective shuttle did not differ significantly between the untrained and endurance-trained states. It is concluded that endurance training may induce increased levels of malate-aspartate shuttle enzymes in human skeletal muscle while the levels of the alpha-glycerophosphate shuttle enzymes are not affected. The study also includes results from several methodological experiments.