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Biomedical subjects

R L Veech

Publications and source records attributed to R L Veech.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

The effects of chronic administration of T4, growth hormone and epidermal growth factor on hepatic lipogenic enzymes in hypophysectomised rats.

The effect of daily injections of T4, growth hormone and epidermal growth factor on the activities of the 3 hepatic enzymes malic enzyme (E.C.1.1.1.40), 6 phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (E.C.1.1.1.44) and glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (E.C.1.1.1.49) in hypophysectomised rats was examined. T4 was shown to increase the activity of malic enzyme in a dose dependent manner from a basal level of 3.55 mumol/min/liver to 48.97 mumol/min/liver at a dose of 75 micrograms/Kg/day. A smaller increase in the activity of 6 phosphogluconate dehydrogenase was also observed over the same range of T4 dosage. Growth hormone in the current study increased the total liver enzyme activity of glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase by 84% when given with a replacement dose of 35 micrograms T4/kg/day and 6 phosphogluconate dehydrogenase activity by 19%.

Animals↗

The content of pentose-cycle intermediates in liver in starved, fed ad libitum and meal-fed rats.

Liver content of pentose-cycle intermediates and the activity of the three major cytoplasmic NADPH-producing enzymes and pentose-cycle enzymes were measured in three dietary states: 48 h-starved rats, rats fed on a standard diet ad libitum, and rats meal-fed with a low-fat high-carbohydrate diet. Measured tissue contents of pentose-cycle intermediates in starved liver were: 6-phosphogluconate, 4.7 +/- 0.5 nmol/g; ribulose 5-P, 3.7 +/- 0.5 nmol/g; xylulose 5-P, 4.3 +/- 0.4 nmol/g; sedoheptulose 7-P, 25.5 +/- 1.3 nmol/g; and combined sedoheptulose 7-P and ribose 5-P, 30.6 +/- 0.7 nmol/g. These values were in good agreement with values calculated from fructose 6-P and free glyceraldehyde 3-P, assuming the major transketolase, transaldolase, ribulose-5-P 3-epimerase and ribose-5-P isomerase reactions were all in near-equilibrium. Similar results were found in animals fed ad libitum. These relationships were not valid in animals fed on a low-fat high-carbohydrate diet, with tissue contents of metabolites in some cases being more than an order of magnitude higher than the calculated values. Measured tissue contents of pentose-cycle intermediates in these animals were: 6-phosphogluconate, 124.2 +/- 13.9 nmol/g; ribulose 5-P, 44.8 +/- 7.1 nmol/g; xylulose 5-P, 77.2 +/- 9.4 nmol/g; sedoheptulose 7-P, 129.9 +/- 10.1 nmol/g; and combined sedoheptulose 7-P and ribose 5-P, 157.0 +/- 11.3 nmol/g. In all animals, regardless of dietary state, tissue content of erythrose 4-P was less than 2 nmol/ml. Liver activities of glucose-6-P dehydrogenase and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase were increased from 3.5 +/- 0.9 mumol/g and 7.3 +/- 0.5 mumol/min per g in starved animals to 13.2 +/- 1.1 and 10.5 +/- 0.7 mumol/min per g in low-fat high-carbohydrate-fed animals. Despite these changes, the activities of transaldolase (3.4 +/- 0.3 mumol/min per g), transketolase (7.8 +/- 0.2 mumol/min per g) and ribulose-5-P 3-epimerase (7.5 +/- 0.4 mumol/min per g) were not increased in meal-fed animals above those observed in starved animals (3.4 +/- 0.2, 7.1 +/- 0.3 and 8.6 +/- 0.4 mumol/min per g respectively). The increase in the activity of oxidative pentose-cycle enzymes in the absence of any change in the non-oxidative pentose cycle appeared to contribute to the observed disequilibrium in the pentose cycle in animals meal fed on a low-fat high-carbohydrate diet.

Animals↗

The interdependence of glycolytic and pentose cycle intermediates in ad libitum fed rats.

Equilibrium constants for reactions catalyzed by ribulose-5-phosphate 3-epimerase, [sigma xylulose-5-P]/[sigma ribulose-5-P] = 1.82, ribose-5-phosphate isomerase, [sigma Rib-5-P]/[sigma ribulose-5-P] = 1.20, transaldolase, [sigma erythrose-4-P] [sigma Fru-6-P]/[sigma sedoheptulose-7-P] [sigma glyceraldehyde 3-P] = 0.37, and transketolase, [sigma Fru-6-P] [sigma glyceraldehyde 3-P]/[sigma erythrose-4-P] [sigma xylulose-5-P] = 29.7 and [sigma Rib-5-P] [sigma xylulose-5-P]/[sigma sedoheptulose-7-P] [sigma glyceraldehyde 3-P] = 0.48, were redetermined under physiological conditions. The equilibrium constant for the combined glucose-6-P dehydrogenase and 6-phosphoglucono-gamma-lactonase reaction, [6-phosphogluconate3-] [NADPH] [H+]2/[Glc-6-P2-] [NADP+], was found to be at least 1 X 10(-9). Using these redetermined equilibrium constants, calculated values of pentose cycle intermediates, based on near equilibrium assumptions and the tissue content of Fru-6-P and glyceraldehyde 3-P, were found to be in good agreement with measured values for male Wistar rats injected with saline, 20 mumol/g pyruvate, 20 mumol/g gluconate, and 20 mumol/g ribose. Measured and calculated values for pentose cycle intermediates in saline injected animals were ribulose-5-P; 3.8 +/- 0.4 and 2.4 +/- 0.1 nmol/g; xylulose-5-P, 5.9 +/- 0.6 nmol/g and 4.3 +/- 0.2 nmol/g; sedoheptulose-7-P, 41.5 +/- 2.4 and 37.6 +/- 2.9 nmol/g; and combined sedopheptulose-7-P and Rib-5-P, 43.0 +/- 2.8 nmol/g and 40.5 +/- 3.0 nmol/g; liver content of erythrose-4-P was less than the detection limits of the assay, 2 nmol/g. Calculated erythrose-4-P was 0.23 +/- 0.01 nmol/g. Liver content of 6-phosphogluconate was 8.5 +/- 0.7 nmol/g. The free cytosolic [NADP+]/[NADPH] ratio calculated from the 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase redox couple, 0.0030 +/- 0.0002, was also in good agreement with that calculated from the malic enzyme redox couple, 0.0051 +/- 0.0007, and the isocitrate dehydrogenase redox couple, 0.0066 +/- 0.0008. These data indicate the interdependence of the liver content of glycolytic intermediates and pentose cycle intermediates in ad libitum fed rats.

Animals↗

The effect of short chain fatty acid administration on hepatic glucose, phosphate, magnesium and calcium metabolism.

Intra peritoneal administration of the short chain fatty acids, acetate, propionate and butyrate, in amounts calculated to reach 20 mM in total body water were given to fed and 48 hour starved male Wistar rats. One half hour after administration, the livers were freeze-clamped and the hepatic contents of various intermediary metabolites were measured. The liver content of total glycolytic intermediates was elevated by short chain fatty acids. In fed animals, the portion of glycolysis from fructose 1,6-bisphosphate (FBP) to PEP was elevated 2 to 4 fold. In 48 hour starved animals, where gluconeogenesis is active, the portion of the gluconeogenetic pathway from FBP to glucose was elevated 1.5 to 3.5 fold with the exception of the butyrate treated animals where blood glucose was not elevated. The metabolites of the hexose-monophosphate pathway that were measured, namely 6-phosphogluconate, ribulose 5-phosphate and xylose 5-phosphate were increased in both fed and starved animals. The free cytoplasmic [NAD+]/[NADH], [NADP+]/[NADPH], and [epsilon ATP]/[epsilon ADP] X [epsilon Pi] ratios were all decreased in both fed and starved animals after short chain fatty acid administration. The liver content of calcium increased 1.2 to 2 fold in fed animals and 2 to 3 fold in starved animals while total liver magnesium was either unchanged or increased only 1.2 times. The liver pyrophosphate (PPi) content increased a minimum of 10 fold in fed animals and over 100 fold in starved animals. In all cases no PPi could be detected in vivo by 31P NMR even though in the starved rats the PPi levels approached those of ATP. The liver content of inorganic Pi increased 1.3 to 1.5 fold in fed animals and 1.5 to 2 fold in starved animals. The total "rapidly metabolizing" Pi pool, that includes adenine and guanine nucleotides, glycolytic and shunt intermediates, Pi and PPi increased 1.3 times in fed animals (from 13.8 mumole/g fresh weight) and 1.5 to 1.7 fold in starved animals (from 15.7 mumol/g fresh weight). The total phosphate taken up from blood and entering the rapidly turning over pool of liver phosphate ranged between 4 and 12 mumols/g of liver.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Adenine Nucleotides↗

The measurement of xylulose 5-phosphate, ribulose 5-phosphate, and combined sedoheptulose 7-phosphate and ribose 5-phosphate in liver tissue.

A modification of the method of Kauffman et al. (F. C. Kauffman, J. G. Brown, J. V. Passonneau, and O. H. Lowry (1969) J. Biol. Chem. 244, 3647-3653) for the spectrophotometric determination of xylulose 5-phosphate, ribulose 5-phosphate, and combined ribose 5-phosphate and sedoheptulose 7-phosphate in tissue extract is presented. Using commercially available enzymes all three assays come to a clear endpoint with the assays described. Values for these metabolites in liver in three dietary states are reported; 48 h starved, ad libitum feeding of standard NIH rat ration, and meal feeding of a fat-free diet. Xylulose 5-phosphate values were 3.8 +/- 0.3, 8.6 +/- 0.3, and 66.3 +/- 8.3 nmol/g. Ribulose 5-phosphate values were 3.4 +/- 0.3, 5.8 +/- 0.2, and 37.1 +/- 5.3 nmol/g. Combined ribose 5-phosphate and sedoheptulose 7-phosphate were 29.3 +/- 0.3, 38.2 +/- 1.2, and 108.2 +/- 14.5 nmol/g. The ratio of measured tissue content of [xylulose 5-phosphate]/[ribulose 5-phosphate] was found to be 1.12 +/- 0.07 in starved animals, 1.48 +/- 0.04 in ad libitum fed animals and 1.78 +/- 0.03 in low-fat meal fed animals. These data are in good agreement with the range of equilibrium constants reported for this reaction, suggesting that the ribulose 5-phosphate 3-epimerase reaction (EC 5.1.3.1) is a near equilibrium reaction despite a more than 10-fold change in the tissue content of these metabolites.

Animals↗

The toxic impact of parenteral solutions on the metabolism of cells: a hypothesis for physiological parenteral therapy.

The prescribing of parenteral fluids has become so routine that most physicians have become oblivious to the toxic impact of current practices on the cellular metabolism of their patients. Few physicians recognize the iatrogenic threat of replacement of body fluids based solely on concepts of volumetric and caloric need. Understanding the metabolic and ionic organization of cells can provide the physician means to use parenteral fluids to control the inherent metabolic energy of cells. Application of new insight into physical chemistry and metabolic properties of the cell can enhance the physician's therapy of the critically ill patient.

Acetates↗

The effect of dehydroepiandrosterone on liver metabolites.

Liver metabolites and in vitro enzyme activities were measured in Sprague-Dawley rats pair-fed the standard NIH diet with or without 0.6% (wt/wt) dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) for 16 d. Absorption of DHEA from the gut was confirmed by a 300-fold increase in urine 17-ketosteroids in DHEA-treated animals. Of the liver metabolites measured only 6-phosphogluconate was significantly changed, increasing by less than a factor of two in the DHEA-treated animals, 38.7 +/- 2.2 nmol/g, above the value in the pair-fed controls, 22.5 +/- 2.5 nmol/g. Contrary to the in vitro findings that DHEA inhibits glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.49), thus leading to the hypothesis that DHEA inhibits fat synthesis by diminishing the availability of NADPH, the [NADP+]/[NADPH] ratios calculated from the 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.44), isocitrate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.42) and malic enzyme (EC 1.1.1.40) redox couples were no more oxidized in the DHEA-treated animals than in the control animals. Malic enzyme and isocitrate dehydrogenase activities were 620 and 25% higher in DHEA-treated animals than in pair-fed controls. There was no change in the measured activity of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase or 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase. These data give no support to the hypothesis that administration of DHEA per os results in decreased cytoplasmic NADPH in liver.

17-Ketosteroids↗

The accumulation of pyrophosphate by rat hepatocytes.

Hepatocytes that were isolated from 48 hr starved rats and incubated in Krebs-Henseleit bicarbonate buffer containing 10 microM A23187, 10mM l-lactate, 1mM pyruvate and 2mM l-lysine were found to contain 0.064 mumol of inorganic pyrophosphate/g wet wgt cells. Addition of either 20mM acetate or butyrate, which caused the formation of pyrophosphate in both the cytosol and the mitochondrial matrix or only the matrix, resulted in an increase of 0.915 and 1.91 mumol pyrophosphate/g wet wgt cells, respectively. The accumulation of pyrophosphate was shown to be non-linear with time and dependent on the calcium concentration of the incubation media. In contrast, incubations containing a combination of 10 mM NH4Cl and 5 mM ornithine, which resulted in the formation of pyrophosphate only in the cytosol, had a pyrophosphate content of 0.032 mumol/g wgt cells. When isolated hepatocytes that had been incubated with acetate or butyrate were subjected to digitonin fractionation, all of the recoverable pyrophosphate was present in the particulate fraction. It is concluded that pyrophosphate accumulates in isolated rat hepatocytes only in the presence of calcium and a calcium ionophore, only within the mitochondrial matrix and only when pyrophosphate is formed within the mitochondrial matrix.

Animals↗

The production of 1,2-propanediol in ethanol treated rats.

Chronic administration of ethanol in the most commonly used experimental diet (Lieber, C. S., and DeCarli, L. M. (1976) Fed. Proceed. 35, 1232-1236) resulted in the production of 1,2-propanediol within one week of initiation of alcohol feeding. After two weeks 1,2-propanediol levels were 8.8 +/- 1.6 nmol/ml in alcohol treated animals. No 1,2-propanediol was apparent in pair fed control animals at any time during this study. Consistent with the proposed mechanism of production of 1,2-propanediol in acetone treated rats (Casazza, J. P., Felver, M. E., and Veech, R. L. (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 231-236), both liver acetone and acetol monooxygenase activities and blood beta-hydroxybutyrate were elevated in ethanol treated animals. Acetone and acetol monooxygenase activities were 0.118 +/- 0.016 and 0.110 +/- 0.016 umol/min/g liver after two weeks of ethanol treatment. Acetone and acetol monooxygenase activities in pair fed controls were 0.016 +/- 0.002 and 0.015 +/- 0.002 umol/min/g liver. beta-Hydroxybutyrate levels were highest after one week of treatment; 1.64 +/- 0.12 umol/ml in ethanol treated rats and 0.16 +/- 0.02 umol/ml in pair fed controls. Throughout this study serum acetol and 2,3-butanediol were less than the detection limits of these assays (less than 5 nmol/ml).

3-Hydroxybutyric Acid↗

Metabolic fluxes between [14C]2-deoxy-D-glucose and [14C]2-deoxy-D-glucose-6-phosphate in brain in vivo.

The rates of the phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of 2-deoxyglucose were measured in rat brain in vivo using tracer kinetic techniques. The rate constant for each reaction was estimated from two separate experiments with different protocols for tracer administration. Tracer amounts of [1-14C]2-deoxyglucose (1 microCi) were injected through the internal carotid artery (intraarterial experiment), or through the atrium (intravenous experiment). Brains were sampled by freeze-blowing at various times after the injection. In the intraarterial experiment, the rate constant for the forward reaction from 2-deoxyglucose to 2-deoxyglucose phosphate was calculated by dividing the initial rate of 2-deoxyglucose phosphate production by the 2-deoxyglucose content in brain. The rate constant for the reverse reaction from 2-deoxyglucose phosphate to 2-deoxyglucose was calculated from the decay constant of 2-deoxyglucose phosphate. The rate constants estimated were 10.1 +/- 1.4%/min (SD) and 3.00 +/- 0.01%/min (SD), respectively, for the forward and reverse reactions. In the intravenous experiment, rate constants for both reactions were estimated by compartmental analysis. By fitting data to program SAAM-27, the rate constants for the forward and reverse reactions were estimated as 11.4 +/- 0.4%/min (SD) and 5.1 +/- 0.4%/min (SD), respectively. The rate constants determined were compared to those for the reactions between glucose and glucose-6-phosphate, estimated previously from labeled glucoses. It is concluded that the rate of glucose utilization measured by the 2-deoxyglucose method reflects the rate of the hexokinase reaction and not the rate of glucose utilization or brain energy utilization.

Animals↗

The metabolism of acetone in rat.

Intraperitoneal injection of 5 mumol of acetone/g, body weight, into 3 rats previously fed 1% acetone (v/v) in their drinking water resulted in the appearance in blood serum of 16 +/- 2 nmol of 1,2-propanediol/ml and 8 +/- 1 nmol of 2,3-butanediol/ml. No detectable 1,2-propanediol or 2,3-butanediol was found in the serum of animals after acetone or saline injection without prior addition of acetone to drinking water or in the serum of animals injected with saline after having been maintained on drinking water containing 1% acetone. These data suggest that acetone both acts to induce a critical enzyme or enzymes and serves as a precursor for the production of 1,2-propanediol. It is also clear from these data that chronic acetone feeding plays a role in 2,3-butanediol production in the rat. Microsomes isolated from the liver of animals maintained on drinking water supplemented with 1% acetone contained two previously unreported enzymatic activities, acetone monooxygenase which converts acetone to acetol and acetol monooxygenase which converts acetol to methylglyoxal. Both activities require O2 and NADPH. Prior treatment with acetone increased serum D-lactate from 9 nmol/ml +/- 9 nmol/ml in control animals to 77 +/- 36 nmol/ml in acetone-fed animals after injection with 5 mumol of acetone/g, body weight. This is consistent with methylglyoxal being a by-product of acetone metabolism. Two pathways for the conversion of acetone to glucose are proposed, the methylglyoxal and the propanediol pathways. The methylglyoxal pathway is responsible for the conversion of acetone to acetol, acetol to methylglyoxal, and the subsequent conversion of methylglyoxal to glucose. The propanediol pathway involves the conversion of acetol to L-1,2-propanediol by an as yet unknown process. L-1,2-Propanediol is converted to L-lactaldehyde by alcohol dehydrogenase, and L-lactaldehyde is converted to L-lactic acid by aldehyde dehydrogenase. Expression of these metabolic pathways in rat appears to be dependent on the induction of acetone monooxygenase and acetol monooxygenase by acetone.

Acetone↗

Measurement of tissue purine, pyrimidine, and other nucleotides by radial compression high-performance liquid chromatography.

A high-performance liquid-chromatographic (HPLC) method for the rapid separation of purine and pyrimidine nucleotides, NAD+, NADP+, FAD, FMN, UDP-Glc, UDP-glucuronate, and ADP-ribose found in neutralized perchloric acid extracts of rat liver is described. Separation was achieved within 26 min on a radially compressed column of Partisil 10-SAX. The column was eluted with a gradient of sodium phosphate and sodium chloride. The sodium phosphate was purified by passage through tandem columns of anion- and cation-exchange resins to remove uv-absorbing impurities. The sensitivity of this procedure is such that an amount of ATP contained in 10 micrograms of liver can be measured. The recoveries of all nucleotides were between 87 and 107%. In extracts of rat liver interfering substances were found to elute with GDP, and UDP eluted with NADP. Consequently, the tissue contents of UDP and GDP were determined in a second run by measuring the increase in UTP and GTP, respectively, following sample pretreatment with pyruvate kinase (PK). The tissue level of NADP+ was calculated as the difference between the total UDP and NADP+ peak and the increase in UTP following PK treatment. In those nucleotides amenable to enzymatic analysis, namely NAD+, AMP, UDP-Glc, UTP, and ATP, the tissue contents measured enzymatically were not significantly different from those determined by HPLC. However, ADP as measured with PK was found to be 15% higher compared to the HPLC determination.

Animals↗

2,3-butanediol: an unusual metabolite in the serum of severely alcoholic men during acute intoxication.

In a controlled experiment 15 (79%) of 19 severely alcoholic men but only 1 of 22 controls had a serum concentration of greater than or equal to 5 mumol/l 2,3-butanediol after ingestion of distilled spirits. Another diol, 1,2-propanediol, was found in a concentration of greater than or equal to 5 mumol/l in all patients' specimens after drinking; but it was also present in lower concentrations in the reference specimens of most of the patients. These data are consistent with the experimental evidence that ethanol can be metabolised in rats to produce 2,3-butanediol and with the epidemiological hypothesis that severely alcoholic men metabolise ethanol by a different pathway than do control subjects.

Acute Disease↗

Enzymatic measurement of ethanol or NAD in acid extracts of biological samples.

An enzymatic method for the measurement of ethanol has been developed to permit analyses with unneutralized acid extracts of blood, liver, cell suspensions, or other biological materials. Components of the assay mixture include NAD, yeast alcohol dehydrogenase, tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane (Tris), and lysine. Tris is a trapping agent for the reaction product, acetaldehyde. Lysine is used to maintain the pH at 9.7 where oxidation of ethanol is quantitative and most rapid, even when as much as 0.2 ml of 0.5 N HClO4 is added. Lysine also causes the reaction to be 2 to 4 times faster than it is when either glycine or 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol is used as the buffer. The assay is linear up to an ethanol concentration of 0.125 mM in the reaction mixture and is complete by 4 min. By substituting ethanol for NAD in the reagents, the assay performs equally well in measuring NAD.

Alcohol Dehydrogenase↗