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Biomedical subjects

P J Walsh

Publications and source records attributed to P J Walsh.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Intracellular pH regulation and metabolic interactions in hepatic tissues.

Intracellular pH (pHi) regulation in the vertebrate liver relies heavily on ionic transport mechanisms. Liver, in common with many tissues, has plasma membrane Na(+)-H+ and Cl(-)-HCO3- electroneutral exchangers which work in opposition to tightly control pHi. Mammalian livers also possess electrogenic Na(+)-HCO3- exchangers, capable of base uptake, which, when coupled to pHi-mediated changes in membrane potential, probably confer an additional measure of pHi control, compared to fish livers, where the transporter appears to be functionally absent. It is suggested that this may be a fundamental difference between aquatic and aerial breathing. pHi regulation has barely been examined in invertebrate hepatic tissues, but already some interesting differences are apparent. Notably, an electrogenic 2Na(+)-1H+ acid-extrusion system is present in apical membranes of crustacean hepatopancreas. Despite these ionic control systems, complex acid-base disturbances (e.g., "metabolic" acidosis) have been known for some time to influence hepatic metabolism in vertebrates, but few studies have carefully examined the independent effects of the acid-base variables involved. Thus mechanistic explanations for the effects of acid-base disturbances are scarce. Ureogenesis in mammals has been well studied, and several pH-related mechanisms are evident. In contrast, the pH-insensitivity of ureogenesis in fish liver may represent a second difference between aquatic and terrestrial species. In summary, by virtue of its metabolic diversity, liver represents a potentially important organ in acid-base balance, and an interesting study tissue for interrelationships between metabolism and acid-base balance.

Acid-Base Equilibrium↗
PubMed1992

Metabolic actions of glucagon and dexamethasone in liver of the ureogenic teleost Opsanus beta.

Injection with pharmacological doses of dexamethasone (5 mg/kg) and/or bovine glucagon (1 mg/kg) exerts pronounced effects on toadfish liver compared with vehicle-treated control fish. Affected parameters include hepatic levels of glycogen and the activities of glutamate dehydrogenase, aspartate aminotransferase, malate dehydrogenase, and enzymes involved in NADPH generation as well as the kinetics of pyruvate kinase. Activities of tyrosine aminotransferase, however, a prime target for hormonal induction in mammals, remain unchanged in Opsanus. In subsequently isolated toadfish hepatocytes, metabolite concentrations and flux through gluconeogenesis are altered as are in vitro responses to epinephrine and catfish glucagon in previously injected fish. Contrary to existing mammalian models, short-term regulation of urea cycle activity can be ruled out for toadfish, since hormone treatments fail to influence the activity of two ornithine-urea cycle enzymes or the rate of hepatocyte-urea synthesis. Treatment-dependent increases in hepatic glutamine synthetase, the unique feeder enzyme for ammonia "nitrogen" in fish urea cycle, indicate a potentially pivotal role for this enzyme in longer-term regulation of ureogenesis.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Species identification of spiny lobster phyllosome larvae via ribosomal DNA analysis.

Within the tropical northwestern Atlantic, Panulirus argus, P. guttatus, and P. laevicauda (Palinuridae family), are sympatric. Numerous studies have examined the distribution and abundance of planktonic phyllosome larvae with respect to recruitment of spiny lobsters to the benthic population, but the data are of limited use because larvae of these species cannot yet be distinguished from one another by morphological characteristics. A simple molecular method that unambiguously differentiates adults or larvae of P. argus, P. guttatus, and P. laevicauda is described: a 5' region of 28s ribosomal DNA is amplified in vitro and then cut with a diagnostic restriction enzyme to identify each species. Data are also presented from the application of this method to representative plankton tows.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Ranking of carcinogenic potency using a relative potency approach.

Protocols for long-term carcinogen bioassays have become highly refined. The ability to interpret these bioassay results beyond the experimental setting, however, has not improved commensurately. As a consequence, society is still faced with the fact that data derived in these bioassays reflect highly specific experimental conditions which are vastly different from environmental exposures of the freely roaming, outbred human. The scientific community has responded with a "collective wisdom" approach by using expert committees to interpret bioassay evidence. This committee approach is believed to be successful in protecting human health, but the list of suspected carcinogens is growing faster than the expert committees can respond. We have developed a relative potency framework for ranking the hazards represented by potential human carcinogens. The results demonstrate a rank ordering of a variety of compounds which is independent of the reference compound used to standardize the information. The philosophic basis of the approach may facilitate expert risk assessment systems development because it: (1) complements and supports "expert committee" data selection; (2) has a simple set of rules and does not require mathematical modeling; (3) requires no special situation judgments; and (4) is suitable for use with electronic data bases.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Metabolic and enzymatic heterogeneity in the liver of the ureogenic teleost Opsanus beta.

Viable toadfish hepatocytes were separated into distinct subpopulations by gradient centrifugation. Although 3-5 density subpopulations were obtained for each fish, only two metabolically and enzymatically different subpopulations could be discerned. In all cases, hepatocytes with the lowest density (less than 1.040 g ml-1) were more oxidative in scope, as judged by the activities of mitochondrial enzymes (citrate synthase, aspartate aminotransferase, glutamate dehydrogenase); activities of these enzymes (normalised to cell protein) were on average two- to threefold higher than in subpopulations with higher densities. Lower-density hepatocytes also contained higher levels of the urea cycle enzymes arginase and ornithine carbamoyltransferase. The higher-density subpopulations showed no significant differences from each other in enzymatic activities. Compared with lower-density cells, these hepatocytes had higher activities of two cytosolic enzymes, malate dehydrogenase and glutathione-S-transferase. There was no distinct distribution pattern for alanine aminotransferase and glutamine synthetase. Despite generally lower oxidative enzyme content, higher-density hepatocytes were metabolically more active, with 2.5- to fourfold higher rates of urea synthesis, gluconeogenesis and oxidation of lactate. We conclude that, although the toadfish liver shows distinct enzymatic and metabolic heterogeneity, this heterogeneity is dissimilar to the zonation pattern in the livers of mammals, in that separated toadfish hepatocyte types did not appear to possess exclusive metabolic functions. Notably, all cells were capable of metabolic functions that are strictly localised in mammalian liver. In nitrogen metabolism, glutamine synthetase displays a distribution pattern commensurate with its unique metabolic function in the liver of the ureogenic toadfish. Further, all subpopulations possessed detoxification capabilities as indicated by high levels of glutathione-S-transferase, a 'phase II' conjugation enzyme.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Adrenergic inhibition of carbon dioxide excretion by trout red blood cells in vitro is mediated by activation of Na+/H+ exchange.

We have used a sensitive new technique to assess the mechanism(s) of adrenergic inhibition of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) red blood cell (RBC) carbon dioxide excretion in vitro. The effect was only apparent using blood acidified to simulate metabolic acidosis. Red blood cell CO2 excretion was inhibited in a dose-dependent manner by physiologically relevant concentrations of noradrenaline (10-1000 nmol l-1) or adrenaline (100-1000 nmol l-1). The beta-adrenoceptor antagonist propranolol abolished the inhibitory effect of adrenaline, whereas the alpha-adrenoceptor antagonist phentolamine was without effect. The action of noradrenaline on RBC CO2 excretion was mimicked by the beta-adrenoceptor agonist isoproterenol, but not by the alpha-adrenoceptor agonist phenylephrine. Therefore, adrenergic inhibition of CO2 excretion is mediated by RBC beta-adrenoceptors, presumably of the beta 1 subtype. The Na+/H+ exchange inhibitor amiloride effectively blocked adrenergic stimulation of Na+/H+ exchange (as indicated from measurements of pHe and RBC pHi) and entirely prevented the inhibition of CO2 excretion. Noradrenaline significantly reduced the rate of CO2 excretion even in the presence of the Cl-/HCO3- exchange inhibitor SITS. Therefore, adrenergic inhibition of CO2 excretion is accomplished via activation of RBC Na+/H+ exchange rather than by a direct inhibition of Cl-/HCO3- exchange. The observed relationship between CO2 excretion rates and the RBC transmembrane pH difference (pHe-pHi) and the occurrence of the inhibition only at low pHe provide further evidence of the linkage with RBC Na+/H+ exchange. We suggest that adrenergic activation of RBC Na+/H+ exchange impedes CO2 excretion by causing a rise in intracellular HCO3- levels concurrent with a reduction of intracellular PCO2. The net result is a reduced gradient for HCO3- entry into the RBC in conjunction with a diminution of the outwardly directed PCO2 gradient. Thus, the rate of formation of CO2 from the dehydration of plasma HCO3- is reduced and, in turn, a portion of this CO2 is not excreted but recycled through the red blood cell.

Adrenergic Antagonists↗
PubMed1990

Characterization of red blood cell metabolism in rainbow trout.

Red blood cell metabolism was studied in vitro using whole blood obtained by catheter from resting rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Preparations were viable as shown by stable NTP, metabolite and catecholamine levels and acid-base status, all of which remained at in vivo levels over the 2 h incubation period. Enzymes diagnostic of glycolysis, the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and phosphagen metabolism were all present in significant amounts in red blood cells. In direct comparisons of 14C-labelled substrates at normal resting plasma concentrations, rates of CO2 production were in the order: glucose greater than lactate greater than alanine greater than oleate. Total CO2 production rates from these four oxidative substrates did not equal directly measured O2 consumption rates, indicating that other substrates may also be important in vivo. Oxidative pathway Km values for glucose (8.4 mmol l-1), lactate (3.3 mmol l-1) and alanine (0.8 mmol l-1) were well within the normal physiological ranges of plasma concentrations. Glucose concentration did not affect lactate oxidation rates, but there was some inhibition (27%) of glucose oxidation by high lactate concentrations (20 mmol l-1). The observed Km values and competitive interactions suggest that changes in plasma concentrations associated with environmental stresses can considerably alter the relative rates of oxidation of glucose and lactate in vivo. Considerable pentose-phosphate shunt activity was detected in red cells, as indicated by high activities of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase and high CO2 production rates from (1-14C)-labelled glucose. Even in the presence of normal O2 levels, a significant percentage (28%) of glucose metabolism was directed to lactate production. Taken together, these results demonstrate that rainbow trout whole blood incubated in vitro constitutes a dynamic and viable system for metabolic studies at the pathway level.

Alanine↗
PubMed1990

Control of red blood cell metabolism in rainbow trout after exhaustive exercise.

Metabolic responses (rates of CO2 production from 14C-labelled glucose or lactate, and total O2 consumption) of red blood cells were monitored in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) at rest and during 12 h of recovery from exhaustive exercise. Extracellular acid-base status, red blood cell intracellular pH (pHi), and plasma metabolite and catecholamine levels were recorded simultaneously. Despite a post-exercise rise in plasma glucose level, glucose oxidation was depressed, at least partly because of a rise in plasma lactate level. However, lactate oxidation was stimulated markedly, especially at 0-2 h post-exercise. Subsequent multifactorial experiments in vitro demonstrated that augmentation of lactate oxidation was due partly to increased plasma lactate, and partly to separate stimulatory effects of elevated PCO2 and catecholamine levels. Changes in pH and HCO3- level were not directly involved, but the stimulatory effects of catecholamines occurred only under acidotic conditions. Total red cell O2 consumption (MO2) remained generally stable after exercise. Similar multifactorial experiments in vitro demonstrated that respiratory, metabolic and mixed acidoses all inhibited MO2, an effect largely attributable to the lowered pH. This inhibition was reversed by typical post-exercise levels of epinephrine and norepinephrine; again, catecholamines had no effect under control conditions. Red cell pHi regulation was achieved without an increase in MO2 above resting levels. Our results indicate a complex sensitivity of red cell metabolism to acid-base status and a shift in substrate preference for oxidation after strenuous exercise. The mobilization of catecholamines plays an important coordinating role and helps sustain normal rates of oxidative metabolism by red cells in the face of post-exercise blood acidosis.

Acid-Base Equilibrium↗
PubMed1989

Evolution of urea synthesis in vertebrates: the piscine connection.

Elasmobranch fishes, the coelacanth, estivating lungfish, amphibians, and mammals synthesize urea by the ornithine-urea cycle; by comparison, urea synthetic activity is generally insignificant in teleostean fishes. It is reported here that isolated liver cells of two teleost toadfishes, Opsanus beta and Opsansus tau, synthesize urea by the ornithine-urea cycle at substantial rates. Because toadfish excrete ammonia, do not use urea as an osmolyte, and have substantial levels of urease in their digestive systems, urea may serve as a transient nitrogen store, forming the basis of a nitrogen conservation shuttle system between liver and gut as in ruminants and hibernators. Toadfish synthesize urea using enzymes and subcellular distributions similar to those of elasmobranchs: glutamine-dependent carbamoyl phosphate synthethase (CPS III) and mitochondrial arginase. In contrast, mammals have CPS I (ammonia-dependent) and cytosolic arginase. Data on CPS and arginases in other fishes, including lungfishes and the coelacanth, support the hypothesis that the ornithine-urea cycle, a monophyletic trait in the vertebrates, underwent two key changes before the evolution of the extant lungfishes: a switch from CPS III to CPS I and replacement of mitochondrial arginase by a cytosolic equivalent.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Biotesting of wastewater: a comparative study using the Salmonella and CHO assay systems.

Means to assess the toxicity of wastewaters are essential to implementing the Federal Clean Water Act. Health risk assessment based on single chemicals is limited by the number of chemicals that can be identified and to those chemicals for which toxicity data are available. Long-term whole animal tests on large numbers of wastewater samples are not practical. In this study, two short-term tests, the Salmonella mutagenicity assay and the Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell assay for mutagenicity and cytotoxicity, were evaluated as potentially useful biomonitors of wastewaters. Standard assay protocols were modified to allow testing of up to 2.5 and 3.4 ml of unconcentrated water in the bacterial and mammalian cell tests, respectively. Cytotoxicity and mutagenicity were detected in some unconcentrated wastewater samples using these modifications. Data on eight wastewater samples, representing five different sites, indicated that the Salmonella test is the more sensitive indicator of mutagenic activity in those samples, whereas the CHO test is a sensitive indicator of the presence of cytotoxic components. Wastewater concentrates, prepared by adsorption onto XAD-2 and "blue cotton," were compared in the two bioassays. In a single concentrate, the two short-term tests detected distinctly different mutagens. Advantages of using the CHO-AS52 cell line instead of the CHO-K1BH4 line for detecting wastewater mutagens were indicated. This study illustrates the complementary use of multiple bioassays and concentration methods to detect and characterize toxic components in wastewater.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Metabolism of isolated fish gill cells: contribution of epithelial chloride cells.

Gill cell suspensions from freshwater (FW)- and seawater (SW)-adapted teleosts were obtained by density gradient centrifugation. The proportion of chloride cells (CCs) in the mixed cell suspensions was estimated using the fluorescent mitochondrial stain, DASPMEI, and ranged from less than 1% (FW-adapted tilapia) to approximately 13% (SW-adapted toadfish). The gill cells displayed relatively high viability based on Trypan Blue exclusion (greater than 75%), lactate dehydrogenase leakage (less than 6.5% h-1), oxygen consumption rates (5-15 mumol g-1 cell wet mass h-1) and ATP levels (1-3 mumol g-1 cell wet mass). There were no obvious differences between the viability of CCs and the other cell types present. An initial comparison of gill oxidative metabolism in SW-adapted tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) and toadfish (Opsanus beta) demonstrated that both species oxidized glucose and lactate at substantially greater rates than alanine or oleate. Metabolic rates were significantly higher in toadfish cell suspensions. Kinetic experiments revealed that toadfish gill cells displayed lower values of Km and higher values of Vm for both lactate and glucose, in comparison to tilapia. The elevated metabolism in toadfish gill cells was correlated with increased activities of the oxidative enzyme citrate synthase and Na+/K+-ATPase. The toadfish cell suspensions had a greater proportion of CCs and it is likely that the difference in CC numbers between the two species is the basis for the observed differences in enzyme activities and rates of oxidative metabolism. This idea is supported by the highly significant correlation between Na+/K+-ATPase activity (or CC numbers) and rates of lactate oxidation in gill cell suspensions from FW- and SW-adapted tilapia and toadfish, as well as SW-adapted tilapia chronically treated with cortisol to elevate CC numbers. Although it has been assumed widely that the high metabolic rate of gill tissue reflects, in part, the oxidative demands of the chloride cell, the results of this study provide the first experimental, albeit indirect, evidence for differential rates of metabolism in the various cell types that comprise the gill.

Alanine↗
PubMed1988

Metabolic consequences of hypercapnia in the rainbow trout, Salmo gairdneri: beta-adrenergic effects.

The metabolic consequences of external hypercapnia (1% CO2) were assessed in rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) in the presence or absence of circulating levels of the beta adrenoceptor antagonist, propranolol. External hypercapnia caused a severe extracellular respiratory acidosis and a less pronounced reduction of hepatic intracellular pH (pHi). pHi was restored to prehypercapnic values after 48 hr of continuous hypercapnia due to elevation of bicarbonate levels. In the presence of propranolol, hypercapnia elicited a pronounced activation of pyruvate kinase (PyK) (measured at both low and high phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) concentrations) and inactivation of both total glycogen phosphorylase (GPase) and glycogen phosphorylase a (GPase a). In the absence of propranolol, the changes in enzyme activities were significantly reduced (low PEP PyK activity) or totally absent (GPase inactivation). These results suggest that beta adrenoceptor-mediated phenomena offset disruptive effects of hypercapnia on PyK and GPase activities and may be important in the control of gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis during this acid-base disturbance. The adrenergic effects were not related to modification of hepatic intracellular acid-base status. Hypercapnia induced a rapid depletion of liver glycogen and concomitant hyperglycemia. These effects were not prevented by pretreating fish with propranolol and appeared to be unrelated to changes in GPase a activity. These results suggest that factors other than adrenergic activation of GPase a are involved in the enhancement of liver glycogenolysis.

Acid-Base Equilibrium↗
PubMed1988

Interactive effects of catecholamines and hypercapnia on glucose production in isolated trout hepatocytes.

In response to added catecholamines, isolated trout (Salmo gairdneri) hepatocytes substantially increase the output of glucose into the surrounding medium. This effect is due to activation of glycogen breakdown concomitant with increases in gluconeogenesis and cell respiration. Each metabolic parameter is activated to a similar extent. In hormone-treated and untreated cells, glycogenolysis accounts for more than 97% of glucose production. Activation of glycogen phosphorylase is implicated in the degradation of cell glycogen, while increased flux through the gluconeogenic pathway from lactate is associated with inactivation of pyruvate kinase, possibly through enzyme phosphorylation as indicated by the activity ratio measured at low and saturating concentrations of phosphoenolpyruvate. From studies with specific adrenergic agonists and antagonists, we conclude that stimulation of glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis in trout hepatocytes is consistent with a beta-adrenergic effect. Results are inconclusive with respect to catecholamine-mediated activation of cell respiration. None of the monitored cell acid-base variables (pH, PCO2, [HCO3-]) are implicated in the catecholamine-dependent changes in metabolic output of hepatocytes. Imposed hypercapnic conditions (increased medium PCO2 and decreased medium pH), which cause changes in cell acid-base parameters, result in a depression of lactate oxidation and gluconeogenesis, while the rate of glycogenolysis is not affected. In addition, the total amounts of glycogen phosphorylase and pyruvate kinase assayable are negatively affected by hypercapnic treatment of hepatocytes. Under hypercapnic conditions, cells are highly responsive to adrenergic agonists. It appears that--especially in the long term--the catecholamine-dependent activation of gluconeogenesis may compensate for the acid-base-dependent shortfall in glucose output by the liver.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Chemical scoring by a rapid screening of hazard (RASH) method.

A rapid screening of hazard method (RASH) is presented for deriving relative potency estimates for hazardous substances. The method utilizes data from any available toxicological database such as the Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances (RTECS) or EPA's GENE-TOX database on genetic activity profiles. The method has been applied to derive relative potency values and permissible environmental concentrations for 278 chemicals. The derived values have been compared with recommendations of expert committees where possible, and substantial agreement is found.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Effects of acid-base variables on in vitro hepatic metabolism in rainbow trout.

The effects of hypercapnia (1% CO2), and the independent effects of changes in extracellular pH (pHe), PCO2 and [HCO3-] on intracellular pH (measured by the DMO method) and lactate metabolism (measured by utilization of 14C-labelled lactate), were examined in rainbow trout hepatocytes in vitro. Simulated uncompensated hypercapnia (high PCO2, low pHe, moderately increased [HCO3-] led to a substantial depression in the production of CO2 (44%) and glucose (51%) from lactate. In simulated compensated hypercapnia (high PCO2, normal pHe, high [HCO3-], metabolism was still significantly inhibited (18-33%). Subsequent multifactorial design experiments determined that variations in PCO2, pH and [HCO3-] independently affected metabolism; increased PCO2 and decreased pH inhibited metabolism, but increased [HCO3-] stimulated metabolism. These results are interpreted in terms of the effects of acid-base variables on enzymatic and transport pathways, and the possible causes of decreased hepatic glycogen stores during in vivo hypercapnia are discussed.

Acid-Base Equilibrium↗
PubMed1987

Reexamination of metabolic potential in the toadfish sonic muscle.

Activities of eight enzymes were measured in the sonic muscle of the gulf toadfish, Opsanus beta, to determine the metabolic poise of this unique tissue and to evaluate potential sex related differences in metabolism. In contrast to a prior study (Pennypacker et al., '85, J. Exp. Zool., 239: 259-264), we observed substantial activities of M4-lactate dehydrogenase, 333 to 482 units/g wet sonic muscle weight. This observation and the presence of high activities of other enzymes of glycolytic and anaerobic metabolism (pyruvate kinase and creatine phosphokinase) lead us to conclude that this tissue has high anaerobic capacity. Also in contrast to the observations of Pennypacker et al. ('85), we found that the activities of some enzymes indicative of aerobic metabolism are relatively low. For example, the activities of citrate synthase found in sonic muscle (1.5 to 2.7 units/g) are only slightly higher than values obtained for toadfish white skeletal muscle (1.2 units/g). The discrepancies between the results obtained by the two studies appear to be methodological ones. Lastly, significant differences in enzyme activities between males and females were observed for lactate dehydrogenase, malate dehydrogenase, and citrate synthase, and possible explanations for these differences are discussed.

Anaerobiosis↗