Labeled acetate as a marker of astrocytic metabolism

Mitochondrial lactate metabolism is involved in antioxidative defense in human astrocytoma cells

Although lactate has traditionally been known to be an end product of anaerobic metabolism, recent studies have revealed its disparate biological functions. Oxidative energy production and cell signaling are two important roles assigned to this monocarboxylic acid. Here we demonstrate that mitochondrial lactate metabolism to pyruvate mediated by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in a human astrocytic cell line is involved in antioxidative defense. The pooling of this α-ketoacid helps to detoxify reactive oxygen species, with the concomitant formation of acetate. In-gel activity assays following blue native PAGE electrophoresis were utilized to demonstrate the increase in mitochondrial LDH activity coupled to the decrease in pyruvate dehydrogenase activity in the cells challenged by oxidative stress. The enhanced production of pyruvate with the concomitant formation of acetate in astrocytoma cells was monitored by high-performance liquid chromatography. The ability of pyruvate to fend off oxidative stress was visualized by fluorescence microscopy with the aid of the dye 2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate. Immunoblotting helped confirm the presence of elevated levels of LDH in cells exposed to oxidative stress, and recovery experiments were performed with pyruvate to diminish the oxidative burden on the astrocytoma. The acetate, generated as a consequence of the antioxidative attribute of pyruvate, was subsequently channeled toward the production of lipids, a process facilitated by the upregulation in activity of acetyl-CoA synthetase and acetyl-CoA carboxylase, as demonstrated by in-gel activity assays. The mitochondrial lactate metabolism mediated by LDH appears to play an important role in antioxidative defence in this astrocytic system.

Serum analysis by 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy: a new tool for distinguishing neuromyelitis optica from multiple sclerosis

BACKGROUND

Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) and multiple sclerosis (MS), two inflammatory demyelinating diseases, are characterized by different therapeutic strategies. Currently, the only biological diagnostic tool available to distinguish NMO from MS is the specific serum autoantibody that targets aquaporin 4, but its sensitivity is low.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the diagnostic accuracy of metabolomic biomarker profiles in these two neurological conditions, compared to control patients.

METHODS

We acquired serum spectra (47 MS, 44 NMO and 42 controls) using proton nuclear magnetic resonance ((1)H-NMR) spectroscopy. We used multivariate pattern recognition analysis to identify disease-specific metabolic profiles.

RESULTS

The (1)H-NMR spectroscopic analysis evidenced two metabolites, originating probably from astrocytes, scyllo-inositol and acetate, as promising serum biomarkers of MS and NMO, respectively. In 87.8% of MS patients, scyllo-inositol increased 0.15 to 3-fold, compared to controls and in 74.3% of NMO patients, acetate increased 0.4 to 7-fold, compared to controls. Using these two metabolites simultaneously, we can discriminate MS versus NMO patients (sensitivity, 94.3%; specificity, 90.2%).

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrates the potential of (1)H-NMR spectroscopy of serum as a novel, promising analytical tool to discriminate populations of patients affected by NMO or MS.

Astrocytic and neuronal accumulation of elevated extracellular K(+) with a 2/3 K(+)/Na(+) flux ratio-consequences for energy metabolism, osmolarity and higher brain function

Brain excitation increases neuronal Na⁺ concentration by 2 major mechanisms: (i) Na⁺ influx caused by glutamatergic synaptic activity; and (ii) action-potential-mediated depolarization by Na⁺ influx followed by repolarizating K⁺ efflux, increasing extracellular K⁺ concentration. This review deals mainly with the latter and it concludes that clearance of extracellular K⁺ is initially mainly effectuated by Na⁺,K⁺-ATPase-mediated K⁺ uptake into astrocytes, at K⁺ concentrations above ~10 mM aided by uptake of Na⁺,K⁺ and 2 Cl⁻ by the cotransporter NKCC1. Since operation of the astrocytic Na⁺,K⁺-ATPase requires K⁺-dependent glycogenolysis for stimulation of the intracellular ATPase site, it ceases after normalization of extracellular K⁺ concentration. This allows K⁺ release via the inward rectifying K⁺ channel K_ir4.1, perhaps after trans-astrocytic connexin- and/or pannexin-mediated K⁺ transfer, which would be a key candidate for determination by synchronization-based computational analysis and may have signaling effects. Spatially dispersed K⁺ release would have little effect on extracellular K⁺ concentration and allow K⁺ accumulation by the less powerful neuronal Na⁺,K⁺-ATPase, which is not stimulated by increases in extracellular K⁺. Since the Na⁺,K⁺-ATPase exchanges 3 Na⁺ with 2 K⁺, it creates extracellular hypertonicity and cell shrinkage. Hypertonicity stimulates NKCC1, which, aided by β-adrenergic stimulation of the Na⁺,K⁺-ATPase, causes regulatory volume increase, furosemide-inhibited undershoot in [K⁺]_e and perhaps facilitation of the termination of slow neuronal hyperpolarization (sAHP), with behavioral consequences. The ion transport processes involved minimize ionic disequilibria caused by the asymmetric Na⁺,K⁺-ATPase fluxes.

Astrocytic energetics during excitatory neurotransmission: What are contributions of glutamate oxidation and glycolysis?

Astrocytic energetics of excitatory neurotransmission is controversial due to discrepant findings in different experimental systems in vitro and in vivo. The energy requirements of glutamate uptake are believed by some researchers to be satisfied by glycolysis coupled with shuttling of lactate to neurons for oxidation. However, astrocytes increase glycogenolysis and oxidative metabolism during sensory stimulation in vivo, indicating that other sources of energy are used by astrocytes during brain activation. Furthermore, glutamate uptake into cultured astrocytes stimulates glutamate oxidation and oxygen consumption, and glutamate maintains respiration as well as glucose. The neurotransmitter pool of glutamate is associated with the faster component of total glutamate turnover in vivo, and use of neurotransmitter glutamate to fuel its own uptake by oxidation-competent perisynaptic processes has two advantages, substrate is supplied concomitant with demand, and glutamate spares glucose for use by neurons and astrocytes. Some, but not all, perisynaptic processes of astrocytes in adult rodent brain contain mitochondria, and oxidation of only a small fraction of the neurotransmitter glutamate taken up into these structures would be sufficient to supply the ATP required for sodium extrusion and conversion of glutamate to glutamine. Glycolysis would, however, be required in perisynaptic processes lacking oxidative capacity. Three lines of evidence indicate that critical cornerstones of the astrocyte-to-neuron lactate shuttle model are not established and normal brain does not need lactate as supplemental fuel: (i) rapid onset of hemodynamic responses to activation delivers oxygen and glucose in excess of demand, (ii) total glucose utilization greatly exceeds glucose oxidation in awake rodents during activation, indicating that the lactate generated is released, not locally oxidized, and (iii) glutamate-induced glycolysis is not a robust phenotype of all astrocyte cultures. Various metabolic pathways, including glutamate oxidation and glycolysis with lactate release, contribute to cellular energy demands of excitatory neurotransmission.

Improvement of brain uptake for in vivo PET imaging of astrocytic oxidative metabolism using benzyl [1-(11)C]acetate

Brain uptake of acetate is insufficient for obtaining a quantitative image of astrocytic oxidative metabolism. To improve the brain uptake of [1-(11)C]acetate, we synthesized benzyl [1-(11)C]acetate ([1-(11)C]BA) and conducted a positron emission tomography (PET) study assessing astrocytic oxidative metabolism. The brain uptake of [1-(11)C]BA was markedly higher compared with [1-(11)C]acetate, and disappeared with a half-life of 20 min in all regions studied. The brain uptake of [1-(11)C]BA was significantly decreased by fluorocitrate. The results indicate that [1-(11)C]BA could be a useful PET probe for assessing astrocytic oxidative metabolism.

Acetate supplementation increases brain phosphocreatine and reduces AMP levels with no effect on mitochondrial biogenesis

Acetate supplementation in rats increases plasma acetate and brain acetyl-CoA levels. Although acetate is used as a marker to study glial energy metabolism, the effect that acetate supplementation has on normal brain energy stores has not been quantified. To determine the effect(s) that an increase in acetyl-CoA levels has on brain energy metabolism, we measured brain nucleotide, phosphagen and glycogen levels, and quantified cardiolipin content and mitochondrial number in rats subjected to acetate supplementation. Acetate supplementation was induced with glyceryl triacetate (GTA) by oral gavage (6 g/kg body weight). Rats used for biochemical analysis were euthanized using head-focused microwave irradiation at 2, and 4h following treatment to immediately stop metabolism. We found that acetate did not alter brain ATP, ADP, NAD, GTP levels, or the energy charge ratio [ECR, (ATP+½ ADP)/(ATP+ADP+AMP)] when compared to controls. However, after 4h of treatment brain phosphocreatine levels were significantly elevated with a concomitant reduction in AMP levels with no change in glycogen levels. In parallel studies where rats were treated with GTA for 28 days, we found that acetate did not alter brain glycogen and mitochondrial biogenesis as determined by measuring brain cardiolipin content, the fatty acid composition of cardiolipin and using quantitative ultra-structural analysis to determine mitochondrial density/unit area of cytoplasm in hippocampal CA3 neurons. Collectively, these data suggest that an increase in brain acetyl-CoA levels by acetate supplementation does increase brain energy stores however it has no effect on brain glycogen and neuronal mitochondrial biogenesis.

Acute alcohol intoxication decreases glucose metabolism but increases acetate uptake in the human brain

Alcohol intoxication results in marked reductions in brain glucose metabolism, which we hypothesized reflect not just its GABAergic enhancing effects but also the metabolism of acetate as an alternative brain energy source. To test this hypothesis we separately assessed the effects of alcohol intoxication on brain glucose and acetate metabolism using Positron Emission Tomography (PET). We found that alcohol intoxication significantly decreased whole brain glucose metabolism (measured with FDG) with the largest decrements in cerebellum and occipital cortex and the smallest in the thalamus. In contrast, alcohol intoxication caused a significant increase in [1-(11)C]acetate brain uptake (measured as standard uptake value, SUV), with the largest increases occurring in the cerebellum and the smallest in the thalamus. In heavy alcohol drinkers [1-(11)C]acetate brain uptake during alcohol challenge tended to be higher than in occasional drinkers (p<0.06) and the increases in [1-(11)C]acetate uptake in cerebellum with alcohol were positively associated with the reported amount of alcohol consumed (r=0.66, p<0.01). Our findings corroborate a reduction of brain glucose metabolism during intoxication and document an increase in brain acetate uptake. The opposite changes observed between regional brain metabolic decrements and regional increases in [1-(11)C]acetate uptake support the hypothesis that during alcohol intoxication the brain may rely on acetate as an alternative brain energy source and provides preliminary evidence that heavy alcohol exposures may facilitate the use of acetate as an energy substrate. These findings raise the question of the potential therapeutic benefits that increasing plasma acetate concentration (i.e. ketogenic diets) may have in alcoholics undergoing alcohol detoxification.

Modulation of inflammatory cytokines and mitogen-activated protein kinases by acetate in primary astrocytes

Acetate supplementation attenuates neuroglia activation in a rat model of neuroinflammation by a mechanism associated with an increase in brain acetyl-CoA, an alteration in histone acetylation, and reduction of interleukin (IL)-1β expression. We propose that reduced astroglial activation occurs by disrupting astrocyte-derived inflammatory signaling and cytokine release. Using primary astroglial cultures, we found that LPS (0-25 ng/ml, 4 h) increased tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) and IL-1β in a concentration-dependent manner, which was reduced by treatment with sodium acetate (12 mM). LPS did not alter H3K9 acetylation or IL-6 levels, whereas acetate treatment increased H3K9 acetylation by 2-fold and decreased basal levels of IL-6 by 2-fold. Acetate treatment attenuated the LPS-induced increase in TNF-α mRNA, but did not reverse the mRNA levels of other pro-inflammatory cytokines. By contrast, LPS decreased TGF-β1 and IL-4 protein and TGF-β1 mRNA, all of which was reversed with acetate treatment. Further, we found that acetate treatment completely reversed LPS-induced phosphorylation of MAPK p38 and decreased basal levels of phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinases1/2 (ERK1/2) by 2-fold. Acetate treatment also reversed LPS-elevated NF-κB p65, CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein beta protein levels, and reduced basal levels of phosphorylated NF-κB p65 at serine 536. These results suggest that acetate treatment has a net anti-inflammatory effect in LPS-stimulated astrocytes that is largely associated with a disruption in MAPK and NF-κB signaling.

A two-compartment mathematical model of neuroglial metabolism using [1-(11)C] acetate

The purpose of this study was to develop a two-compartment metabolic model of brain metabolism to assess oxidative metabolism from [1-(11)C] acetate radiotracer experiments, using an approach previously applied in (13)C magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), and compared with an one-tissue compartment model previously used in brain [1-(11)C] acetate studies. Compared with (13)C MRS studies, (11)C radiotracer measurements provide a single uptake curve representing the sum of all labeled metabolites, without chemical differentiation, but with higher temporal resolution. The reliability of the adjusted metabolic fluxes was analyzed with Monte-Carlo simulations using synthetic (11)C uptake curves, based on a typical arterial input function and previously published values of the neuroglial fluxes V(tca)(g), V(x), V(nt), and V(tca)(n) measured in dynamic (13)C MRS experiments. Assuming V(x)(g)=10 × V(tca)(g) and V(x)(n)=V(tca)(n), it was possible to assess the composite glial tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle flux V(gt)(g) (V(gt)(g)=V(x)(g) × V(tca)(g)/(V(x)(g)+V(tca)(g))) and the neurotransmission flux V(nt) from (11)C tissue-activity curves obtained within 30 minutes in the rat cortex with a beta-probe after a bolus infusion of [1-(11)C] acetate (n=9), resulting in V(gt)(g)=0.136±0.042 and V(nt)=0.170±0.103 μmol/g per minute (mean±s.d. of the group), in good agreement with (13)C MRS measurements.

CB₁ receptor activation inhibits neuronal and astrocytic intermediary metabolism in the rat hippocampus

Cannabinoid CB₁ receptor (CB₁R) activation decreases synaptic GABAergic and glutamatergic transmission and it also controls peripheral metabolism. Here we aimed at testing with ¹³C NMR isotopomer analysis whether CB₁Rs could have a local metabolic role in brain areas having high CB₁R density, such as the hippocampus. We labelled hippocampal slices with the tracers [2-¹³C]acetate, which is oxidized in glial cells, and [U-¹³C]glucose, which is metabolized both in glia and neurons, to evaluate metabolic compartmentation between glia and neurons. The synthetic CB₁R agonist WIN55212-2 (1 μM) significantly decreased the metabolism of both [2-¹³C]acetate (-11.6±2.0%) and [U-¹³C]glucose (-11.2±3.4%) in the tricarboxylic acid cycle that contributes to the glutamate pool. WIN55212-2 also significantly decreased the metabolism of [U-¹³C]glucose (-11.7±4.0%) but not that of [2-¹³C]acetate contributing to the pool of GABA. These effects of WIN55212-2 were prevented by the CB₁R antagonist AM251 (500 nM). These results thus suggest that CB₁Rs might be present also in hippocampal astrocytes besides their well-known neuronal localization. Indeed, confocal microscopy analysis revealed the presence of specific CB₁R immunoreactivity in astrocytes and pericytes throughout the hippocampus. In conclusion, CB₁Rs are able to control hippocampal intermediary metabolism in both neuronal and glial compartments, which suggests new alternative mechanisms by which CB₁Rs control cell physiology and afford neuroprotection.

Minimally invasive biomarker confirms glial activation present in Alzheimer's disease: a preliminary study

We applied (13)C magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), a nonradioactive, noninvasive brain imaging technique, to quantify the oxidation of [1-(13)C] acetate in a conventional clinical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner in five consecutive elderly subjects at various clinical stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD) progression. [1-(13)C] acetate entered the brain and was metabolized to [5-(13)C] glutamate and glutamine, as well as [1-(13)C] glutamate and glutamine, and the final glial oxidation product, (13)C bicarbonate, at a linear rate. Calculation of the initial slope was similar in a single subject, examined twice, 1 month apart (test-re-test 8%). Mean rate of cerebral bicarbonate production in this elderly group was 0.040 ± 0.01 (n = 5). Assuming that the rate of conversion of acetate to bicarbonate is a reflection of glial metabolic rate and that glial metabolic rate is a surrogate marker for 'neuroinflammation', our preliminary results suggest that [1-(13)C] MRS may provide biomarkers for diseases, believed to involve microglia and other cells of the astrocyte series. Among these is AD, for which novel drugs which ameliorate the damaging effects of neuroinflammation before symptoms of dementia appear, are in advanced development. The value of (13)C MRS as an early, noninvasive biomarker may lie in the conduct of cost-effective clinical trials.