Rapid loss of ATP by tumor cells deprived of glucose: contrast to normal cells

The Chemistry of the Ketogenic Diet: Updates and Opportunities in Organic Synthesis

The high-fat, low-carbohydrate (ketogenic) diet has grown in popularity in the last decade as a weight loss tool. Research into the diet’s effects on the body have revealed a variety of other health benefits. The use of exogenous ketone supplements to confer the benefits of the diet without strict adherence to it represents an exciting new area of focus. Synthetic ketogenic compounds are of particular interest that has received very little emphasis and is an untapped area of focus for chemical synthesis. In this review, we summarize the chemical basis for ketogenicity and opportunities for further advancement of the field.

Lower Lactate Levels and Lower Intracellular pH in Patients with IDH-Mutant versus Wild-Type Gliomas

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Preclinical evidence points toward a metabolic reprogramming in isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) mutated tumor cells with down-regulation of the expression of genes that encode for glycolytic metabolism. We noninvasively investigated lactate and Cr concentrations, as well as intracellular pH using ¹H/phosphorus 31 (³¹P) MR spectroscopy in a cohort of patients with gliomas.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Thirty prospectively enrolled, mostly untreated patients with gliomas met the spectral quality criteria (World Health Organization II [n = 7], III [n = 16], IV [n = 7]; IDH-mutant [n = 23]; IDH wild-type [n = 7]; 1p/19q codeletion [n = 9]). MR imaging protocol included 3D ³¹P chemical shift imaging and ¹H single-voxel spectroscopy (point-resolved spectroscopy sequence at TE = 30 ms and TE = 97 ms with optimized echo spacing for detection of 2-hydroxyglutarate) from the tumor area. Values for absolute metabolite concentrations were calculated (phantom replacement method). Intracellular pH was determined from ³¹P chemical shift imaging.

RESULTS

At TE = 97 ms, lactate peaks can be fitted with little impact of lipid/macromolecule contamination. We found a significant difference in lactate concentrations, lactate/Cr ratios, and intracellular pH when comparing tumor voxels of patients with IDH-mutant with those of patients with IDH wild-type gliomas, with reduced lactate levels and near-normal intracellular pH in patients with IDH-mutant gliomas. We additionally found evidence for codependent effects of 1p/19q codeletion and IDH mutations with regard to lactate concentrations for World Health Organization tumor grades II and III, with lower lactate levels in patients exhibiting the codeletion. There was no statistical significance when comparing lactate concentrations between IDH-mutant World Health Organization II and III gliomas.

CONCLUSIONS

We found indirect evidence for metabolic reprogramming in IDH-mutant tumors with significantly lower lactate concentrations compared with IDH wild-type tumors and a near-normal intracellular pH.

New insights on the regulation of cancer cachexia by N-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids

Cancer cachexia is a multifactorial syndrome that develops during malignant tumor growth. Changes in plasma levels of several hormones and inflammatory factors result in an intense catabolic state, decreased activity of anabolic pathways, anorexia, and marked weight loss, leading to cachexia development and/or accentuation. Inflammatory mediators appear to be related to the control of a highly regulated process of muscle protein degradation that accelerates the process of cachexia. Several mediators have been postulated to participate in this process, including TNF-α, myostatin, and activated protein degradation pathways. Some interventional therapies have been proposed, including nutritional (dietary, omega-3 fatty acid supplementation), hormonal (insulin), pharmacological (clenbuterol), and nonpharmacological (physical exercise) therapies. Omega-3 (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), especially eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid, are recognized for their anti-inflammatory properties and have been used in therapeutic approaches to treat or attenuate cancer cachexia. In this review, we discuss recent findings on cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in inflammation in the cancer cachexia syndrome and the effectiveness of n-3 PUFAs to attenuate or prevent cancer cachexia.

Wilhelm Brünings' forgotten contribution to the metabolic treatment of cancer utilizing hypoglycemia and a very low carbohydrate (ketogenic) diet

The growing interest in the alterations of tumor cell metabolism and their possible therapeutic exploitation also spurred new complementary and integrative approaches such as treating patients with a ketogenic diet (KD). KDs aim at inhibiting glycolytic tumor metabolism and growth, and have therefore been proposed as adjuncts not only to standard-of-care, but also to other therapies targeting tumor metabolism. Here I describe the life and forgotten work of one of the earliest researchers who realized the importance of altered tumor cell metabolism and its possible exploitation through metabolic modifications: Wilhelm Brünings. Brünings was a German natural scientist and physician famous for his innovative contributions to the fields of physiology and otorhinolaryngology. Based on the findings of Otto Warburg and his physiological reasoning he started to experiment with insulin administration and KDs in his patients with head and neck cancers, aiming to maximally lower blood glucose concentrations. He obtained encouraging short-term results, although most tumors became refractory to treatment after several weeks. His pioneering work is worth revisiting, especially for an international readership that may be unaware of his efforts, as hypoglycemic treatments, including the use of insulin injections and KDs, are currently being re-investigated as complementary and integrative cancer treatments.

Fasting, Fats, and Physics: Combining Ketogenic and Radiation Therapy against Cancer

Radiotherapy (RT) is a mainstay in the treatment of solid tumors and works by physicochemical reactions inducing oxidative stress in cells. Because in practice the efficacy of RT is limited by its toxicity to normal tissues, any strategy that selectively increases the radiosensitivity of tumor cells or boosts the radioresistance of normal cells is a valuable adjunct to RT. In this review, I summarize preclinical and clinical data supporting the hypothesis that ketogenic therapy through fasting and/or ketogenic diets can be utilized as such an adjunct in order to improve the outcome after RT, in terms of both higher tumor control and lower normal-tissue complication probability. The first effect relates to the metabolic shift from glycolysis towards mitochondrial metabolism, which selectively increases reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and impairs adenoside triphosphate (ATP) production in tumor cells. The second effect is based on the differential stress resistance phenomenon describing the reprogramming of normal cells, but not tumor cells, from proliferation towards maintenance and stress resistance when glucose and growth factor levels are decreased and ketone body levels are elevated. Underlying both effects are metabolic differences between normal and tumor cells. Ketogenic therapy is a non-toxic and cost-effective complementary treatment option that exploits these differences and deserves further clinical investigation.

Dietary and pharmacological modification of the insulin/IGF-1 system: exploiting the full repertoire against cancer

As more and more links between cancer and metabolism are discovered, new approaches to treat cancer using these mechanisms are considered. Dietary restriction of either calories or macronutrients has shown great potential in animal studies to both reduce the incidence and growth of cancer, and to act synergistically with other treatment strategies. These studies have also shown that dietary restriction simultaneously targets many of the molecular pathways that are targeted individually by anticancer drugs. The insulin/insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) system has thereby emerged as a key regulator of cancer growth pathways. Although lowering of insulin levels with diet or drugs such as metformin and diazoxide seems generally beneficial, some practitioners also utilize strategic elevations of insulin levels in combination with chemotherapeutic drugs. This indicates a broad spectrum of possibilities for modulating the insulin/IGF-1 system in cancer treatment. With a specific focus on dietary restriction, insulin administration and the insulin-lowering drug diazoxide, such modifications of the insulin/IGF-1 system are the topic of this review. Although preclinical data are promising, we point out that insulin regulation and the metabolic response to a certain diet often differ between mice and humans. Thus, the need for collecting more human data has to be emphasized.

Calories, carbohydrates, and cancer therapy with radiation: exploiting the five R's through dietary manipulation

Aggressive tumors typically demonstrate a high glycolytic rate, which results in resistance to radiation therapy and cancer progression via several molecular and physiologic mechanisms. Intriguingly, many of these mechanisms utilize the same molecular pathways that are altered through calorie and/or carbohydrate restriction. Furthermore, poorer prognosis in cancer patients who display a glycolytic phenotype characterized by metabolic alterations, such as obesity and diabetes, is now well established, providing another link between metabolic pathways and cancer progression. We review the possible roles for calorie restriction (CR) and very low carbohydrate ketogenic diets (KDs) in modulating the five R's of radiotherapy to improve the therapeutic window between tumor control and normal tissue complication probability. Important mechanisms we discuss include (1) improved DNA repair in normal, but not tumor cells; (2) inhibition of tumor cell repopulation through modulation of the PI3K-Akt-mTORC1 pathway downstream of insulin and IGF1; (3) redistribution of normal cells into more radioresistant phases of the cell cycle; (4) normalization of the tumor vasculature by targeting hypoxia-inducible factor-1α downstream of the PI3K-Akt-mTOR pathway; (5) increasing the intrinsic radioresistance of normal cells through ketone bodies but decreasing that of tumor cells by targeting glycolysis. These mechanisms are discussed in the framework of animal and human studies, taking into account the commonalities and differences between CR and KDs. We conclude that CR and KDs may act synergistically with radiation therapy for the treatment of cancer patients and provide some guidelines for implementing these dietary interventions into clinical practice.

Restricting carbohydrates to fight head and neck cancer-is this realistic?

Head and neck cancers (HNCs) are aggressive tumors that typically demonstrate a high glycolytic rate, which results in resistance to cytotoxic therapy and poor prognosis. Due to their location these tumors specifically impair food intake and quality of life, so that prevention of weight loss through nutrition support becomes an important treatment goal. Dietary restriction of carbohydrates (CHOs) and their replacement with fat, mostly in form of a ketogenic diet (KD), have been suggested to accommodate for both the altered tumor cell metabolism and cancer-associated weight loss. In this review, I present three specific rationales for CHO restriction and nutritional ketosis as supportive treatment options for the HNC patient. These are (1) targeting the origin and specific aspects of tumor glycolysis; (2) protecting normal tissue from but sensitizing tumor tissue to radiation- and chemotherapy induced cell kill; (3) supporting body and muscle mass maintenance. While most of these benefits of CHO restriction apply to cancer in general, specific aspects of implementation are discussed in relation to HNC patients. While CHO restriction seems feasible in HNC patients the available evidence indicates that its role may extend beyond fighting malnutrition to fighting HNC itself.

A new link between diabetes and cancer: enhanced WNT/β-catenin signaling by high glucose

Extensive epidemiological studies suggest that the diabetic population is at higher risk of site-specific cancers. The diabetes-cancer link has been hypothesized to rely on various hormonal (insulin, IGF1, adipokines), immunological (inflammation), or metabolic (hyperglycemia) characteristics of the disease and even on certain treatments. Inflammation may have an important but incompletely understood role. As a growth factor, insulin directly, or indirectly through IGF1, has been considered the major link between diabetes and cancer, while high glucose has been considered as a subordinate cause. Here we discuss the evidence that supports a role for insulin/IGF1 in general in cancer, and the mechanism by which hyperglycemia may enhance the appearance, growth and survival of diabetes-associated cancers. High glucose triggers several direct and indirect mechanisms that cooperate to promote cancer cell proliferation, migration, invasion and immunological escape. In particular, high glucose enhancement of WNT/β-catenin signaling in cancer cells promotes proliferation, survival and senescence bypass, and represents a previously unrecognized direct mechanism linking diabetes-associated hyperglycemia to cancer. Increased glucose uptake is a hallmark of tumor cells and may ensure enhanced WNT signaling for continuous proliferation. Mechanistically, high glucose unbalances acetylation through increased p300 acetyl transferase and decreased sirtuin 1 deacetylase activity, leading to β-catenin acetylation at lysine K354, a requirement for nuclear accumulation and transcriptional activation of WNT-target genes. The impact of high glucose on β-catenin illustrates the remodeling of cancer-associated signaling pathways by metabolites. Metabolic remodeling of cancer-associated signaling will receive much research attention in the coming years. Future epidemiological studies may be guided and complemented by the identification of these metabolic interplays. Together, these studies should lead to the development of new preventive strategies for diabetes-associated cancers.

Is there a role for carbohydrate restriction in the treatment and prevention of cancer?

Over the last years, evidence has accumulated suggesting that by systematically reducing the amount of dietary carbohydrates (CHOs) one could suppress, or at least delay, the emergence of cancer, and that proliferation of already existing tumor cells could be slowed down. This hypothesis is supported by the association between modern chronic diseases like the metabolic syndrome and the risk of developing or dying from cancer. CHOs or glucose, to which more complex carbohydrates are ultimately digested, can have direct and indirect effects on tumor cell proliferation: first, contrary to normal cells, most malignant cells depend on steady glucose availability in the blood for their energy and biomass generating demands and are not able to metabolize significant amounts of fatty acids or ketone bodies due to mitochondrial dysfunction. Second, high insulin and insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 levels resulting from chronic ingestion of CHO-rich Western diet meals, can directly promote tumor cell proliferation via the insulin/IGF1 signaling pathway. Third, ketone bodies that are elevated when insulin and blood glucose levels are low, have been found to negatively affect proliferation of different malignant cells in vitro or not to be usable by tumor cells for metabolic demands, and a multitude of mouse models have shown anti-tumorigenic properties of very low CHO ketogenic diets. In addition, many cancer patients exhibit an altered glucose metabolism characterized by insulin resistance and may profit from an increased protein and fat intake.

In this review, we address the possible beneficial effects of low CHO diets on cancer prevention and treatment. Emphasis will be placed on the role of insulin and IGF1 signaling in tumorigenesis as well as altered dietary needs of cancer patients.

Cytoxicity of 1-alkylperhydroazepine N-oxides and quantitative structure-activity relationships

A new class of nonaromatic amine oxides was tested for cytotoxic activity. The main aim of the present investigation was to screen a series of 1-alkylperhydroazepine N-oxides for in vitro cytotoxicity and to find out whether there is a quantitative structure-activity correlation (QSAR) between cytotoxic effect and structure (as a structural parameter the number of carbon atoms m in the alkyl chain was used). Cytotoxicity was determined here by inhibition of incorporation of [14C]adenine into nucleic acid or [14C]valine into proteins in Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) cells. On the basis of primary screening, one of the most active compounds, namely 1-tetradecylperhydroazepine N-oxide (TPNO), was chosen for further biochemical study. The drug inhibited the incorporation rate of [14C] labeled precursors (adenine, thymidine, uridine, valine) into appropriate macromolecules of Ehrlich cells. The extent of inhibition was dependent on both time and drug concentration. The lengthening of the alkyl chain in 1-alkylperhydroazepine N-oxides positively affected their cytotoxic activity in EAC cells. For these compounds the optimal m value is 12-14.

Metabolic pathways in Ehrlich ascites tumor cells recovering from a low bioenergetic status

Ehrlich ascites tumor cells were found to be in a low bioenergetic status, as evaluated by acridine orange uptake and ATP content, when resuspended in a glucose medium shortly after removal from the animal. Dye uptake as well as ATP content then increased for about 2 h at room temperature. This effect was only slightly inhibited by oligomycin. Cells resuspended in a glucose-free medium initially showed high dye uptake and ATP level, which were stable over time: in this case oligomycin caused a drop in both dye uptake and ATP level. The above findings, which are indicative of a marked Crabtree effect in Ehrlich ascites tumor cells, means that it is unlikely that limiting ADP and Pi play an important role in the glucose-induced inhibition of oxidative phosphorylation in this system.

Role of oxygen vs. glucose in energy metabolism in a mammary carcinoma perfused ex vivo: direct measurement by 31P NMR

The role of glycolysis vs. respiration in tumor energy metabolism has been studied, to date, primarily in vitro by using single cells, multicellular spheroids, or tissue slices. With the advent of in vivo NMR spectroscopy, several investigators have shown that tumor energy status depends on its blood flow. Since manipulation of blood flow alters both oxygen and glucose delivery to a solid tumor, these studies have not been able to separate the relative contribution of oxygen vs. glucose in energy metabolism in vivo. In the present study, we have overcome this problem by combining two methods: the tissue-isolated R3230AC mammary adenocarcinoma perfused ex vivo and 31P NMR spectroscopy. The isolated tumor permits one to control the perfusion pressure as well as the metabolite concentrations in the perfusate. NMR spectroscopy permits one to measure the ratio of nucleoside triphosphate to inorganic phosphate (NTP/Pi) and pH. Our results show that (i) the NTP/Pi ratio ex vivo is similar to that observed in vivo prior to surgery, (ii) the NTP/Pi ratio is insensitive to flow changes at high flow rates but is proportional to flow rate at flows comparable to those found in vivo, (iii) the NTP/Pi ratio of these tumors is resistant to hypoxia and is not maintained when glucose is removed or replaced with glutamine, and (iv) although both O2 and glucose are consumed by these tumors, the effect of perfusate flow rate appears to be mediated largely through glucose delivery. The current approach not only provides information about the role of glycolysis vs. respiration in a rodent tumor but also is general and versatile enough to provide similar data in human tumors perfused ex vivo.

Energetic metabolism of glucose, mannose and galactose in glucose-starved rat insulinoma cells anchored on microcarrier beads. A phosphorus-31 NMR study

Insulin-secreting cells (RINm5F) have successfully been grown on a large scale on poly-L-lysine coated-polystyrene microcarriers, providing a high cell number in a restricted volume under conditions that respect the metabolic integrity of these anchorage-dependent cells. The energetic metabolism of the perfused cells has been followed non-invasively by phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Glucose starvation induced a rapid decrease in nucleoside triphosphates (mainly ATP) pools, correlated with an increase in Pi level. The initial ATP level was rapidly recovered when the cells were refed with glucose or with mannose, but not with galactose, even after 2 h of perfusion. These differential effects of hexoses on energetic metabolism might be related to their various insulin-release actions on tumor islet cells.

Nutrition and malignant disease: implications for surgical practice

Malignant disease is often associated with weight loss and malnutrition. Nutritional support is frequently provided to patients with cancer in an attempt to improve nutritional status and reverse weight loss, with the aim of reducing morbidity and mortality rates. This review evaluates the effect of supplemental nutrition on morbidity and mortality in patients with malignancy undergoing treatment with surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy. It also assesses the effect nutritional supplementation has on host defence mechanisms and how nutrients affect tumour cell growth. The evidence suggests that perioperative nutritional support, if given for at least 10 days, reduces morbidity and mortality in patients with biochemical evidence of severe malnutrition, manifest as a low serum albumin concentration and excessive weight loss. In contrast, there is no evidence that parenteral nutritional support benefits patients undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy, in terms of either an increased tumour response rate or prolongation of survival. Current research on malignant disease is highlighting the role of specific nutrients (amino acids, essential fatty acids and polyribonucleotides) as key regulators of both anticancer host defence mechanisms and the control of nitrogen metabolism and tumour growth. Arginine, essential fatty acids and ribonucleotides have all been demonstrated to stimulate antitumour host defence mechanisms and some also modulate tumour cell metabolism. Dietary manipulation offers exciting possibilities for the innovative management of malignant disease.

Phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance of C6 glioma cells and rat astrocytes. Evidence for a modification of the longitudinal relaxation time of ATP and Pi during glucose starvation

31P-NMR spectroscopy has been used to study the energy metabolism and the NMR visibility of ATP and intracellular Pi of the C6 glioma cell line and rat astrocyte grown on microcarrier beads with the following results. 1. In vivo NMR spectra of C6 glioma cells and rat astrocytes indicate that these cells were able to maintain their level of ATP resonances during a long anoxic period (more than an hour). Both cell types were sensitive to ischemia which induced a loss of ATP resonances within 40 min. Glucose starvation induced by 40% decrease in ATP resonances correlated to a 50% increase in the intensity of the Pi signal. These changes corresponded to a new steady state which could be reversed by reperfusing the cells with a glucose-containing medium. 2. In contrast to in vivo data, 31P-NMR analyses of perchloric acid extracts of cells incubated in a glucose-free medium showed that their ATP and Pi contents were unchanged during starvation. The changes of NMR visibility of the metabolites in living C6 cells were correlated to modifications of their macroscopic longitudinal relaxation times, evolving from 0.30 +/- 0.08 s and 6.6 +/- 1.5 s in the presence of glucose to 0.68 +/- 0.26 s and 3.2 +/- 0.9 s in the absence of glucose for ATP and Pi, respectively. The changes of the NMR detectability of ATP and Pi indicate that changes in their microenvironment occur during glucose starvation, suggesting the existence of different pools of these metabolites within the cells. 3. Under various experimental conditions, i.e. anoxia, ischemia and glucose starvation, rat astrocytes in primary culture showed a very similar behavior to that of C6 cells, suggesting a similar adaptability to the nature of the energy supply for both the normal and the malignant cell.

Phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance study of the C6 glioma cell line cultured on microcarrier beads

The energetic metabolism of perfused C6 glioma cells anchored and cultured on polystyrene microcarrier beads has been studied by phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic spectroscopy (NMR). The observation of intracellular phosphorylated compounds demonstrates the metabolic long-lasting viability of the perfused cells. The effect of glucose deprivation on energetic metabolism and intracellular pH illustrates the existence of an active aerobic glycolysis. The non-invasive study of anchored C6 cells by NMR provides a direct means to investigate the metabolism of glioma cells.

Nutritional pharmacology in the treatment of neoplastic disease

The altered energy metabolism and substrate requirements of tumour cells can provide a target for selective antineoplastic therapy. The supply of substrates for tumour energy metabolism can be reduced by dietary manipulation (e.g. ketogenic diet) or by pharmacological means at the cellular level (e.g. inhibitors of glycolysis or oxidative phosphorylation). Both these approaches are examined with a view to the development of selective and therefore non-toxic methods of controlling tumour growth in vivo.

Joint oxygen-glucose deprivation as the cause of necrosis in a tumor analog

The sandwich system was recently developed as an in vitro tumor analog. Like spheroids, sandwiches are organized, multicellular systems in which the interplay between diffusion and consumption leads to the formation of spatial gradients; a necrotic center and a viable cell border subsequently develop. Using sandwiches of the 9L and V79 cell lines, the effects of oxygen and glucose deprivation on the onset and formation of necrosis were investigated. The data indicate that in sandwiches necrosis is a result of a shortage of both substances. Complementary cell monolayer experiments to determine a number of consumption parameters were performed. On the basis of the data, we propose a joint oxygen-glucose deprivation model for V79 cell necrosis. It is assumed a cell dies when oxygen deprivation in conjunction with glucose deprivation lowers the cell's ATP production rate below a critical value. Interactions of the concentrations and consumptions of oxygen and glucose are analyzed theoretically; concentration profiles are obtained by numerically solving coupled non-linear integral equations arising from the diffusion equation. The predicted viable border widths are in good agreement with the observed values.

Amino acid metabolism in tumour-bearing mice

Mice bearing the Lewis lung carcinoma showed a high tumour glutaminase activity and significantly higher concentrations of most amino acids than in both the liver and the skeletal muscle of the host. Tumour tissue slices showed a marked preference for glutamine, especially for oxidation of its skeleton to CO2. It is proposed that the metabolism of this particular carcinoma is focused on amino acid degradation, glutamine being its preferred substrate.

Loss of acetoacetate coenzyme A transferase activity in tumours of peripheral tissues

The presence of succinyl-coenzyme A: acetoacetate CoA--transferase (3-oxo acid-CoA transferase), an initiator of ketone body utilization in non-hepatic tissue was examined in a number of animal and human tumours of peripheral tissues. While enzyme levels in heart, kidney, lymphocytes and bladder were high, the tumours contained low or non-detectable levels of transferase activity, comparable with that of normal liver. The activities of acetoacetyl-CoA thiolase paralleled that of the transferase, except for the high activity in liver, and in all cases the tumour content of the enzyme was lower than that of the brain. The activity of 3-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase was similar in both normal and tumour tissue. The results indicate that tumours of non-hepatic tissues may be unable to metabolize ketone-bodies and suggest a therapeutic strategy for selective starvation of the tumour by dietary modification.

Activity of glycogen metabolizing enzymes in glucose deprived HT 29 adenocarcinoma cell-line

When deprived of glucose, the cultured HT 29 adenocarcinoma cells are able to mobilize their glycogen within 4 hours. Glycogen phosphorylase is strongly activated during the first hour of glucose starvation. Then, while the a/a + b ratio for phosphorylase is declining, glycogen synthase is partially converted into the a form; this conversion does occur although glycogen phosphorylase is far from being totally inactivated. After 4 hours, activity of both a and total forms of glycogen synthase decrease. Cell UDP-glucose and glucose-6-P levels are declining during the 24 hours period of glucose starvation. Cell ATP content decreases by only 50 percent over the same period of time.

Effects of ionophores and metabolic inhibitors on the mitochondrial membrane potential within isolated hepatocytes as measured with the safranine method

A difference spectrum with a peak of absorbance at 526nm appears slowly upon addition of valinomycin or KCN in combination with oligomycin to a hepatocyte suspension in the presence of safranine. When the cells are incubated at 37 degrees C in a medium containing safranine, a slow decrease in the absorbance occurs at the wavelength pair 524-484 nm. The change in absorbance is completed within 20-30 min after additions of cells to a medium containing safranine. At this time the safranine concentration of the outer medium is considerably decreased. The safranine signal is completely reversed by valinomycin, carbonyl cyanide p-trifluoromethoxyphenyl-hydrazone or KCN in combination with oligomycin. None of these treatments have any immediate effect on cellular ATP concentrations or the 36Cl- equilibrium potential across the plasma membrane. In the presence of iodoacetate a slow reversal of the trace can be induced upon addition of KCN, but not of oligomycin alone. Rotenone, in combination with oligomycin, does not reverse the safranine signal except when both KF and iodoacetate are present, in which case a slow reversal is seen. A subsequent addition of duroquinone brings back the signal to the same level as in the presence of rotenone alone. The results indicate that the spectral response of safranine in the presence of isolated hepatocytes is a result of a slow penetration of safranine into intracellular mitochondria, where aggregation of safranine molecules occurs as a response to the mitochondrial membrane potential.

The regulation of nucleotide metabolism of immune cells: papaverine induced nucleotide breakdown

During a period of prelabeling of mouse thymus cells with any nucleoside at 4 degrees C, nucleoside phosphates accumulated, but no nucleic acid synthesis occurred. Elevating the temperature to 37 degrees C then led to incorporation into the respective nucleic acid reaching a maximum in 5--15 min. Papaverine inhibited this incorporation (IC50:50 muM) and caused an efflux of label into the medium as a nonphosphorylated product. The responses of the different nucleotide phosphate pools showed more dependency on the base then the sugar moeity. The effect of papaverine could not be altered or mimicked by deprivation of oxygen, glucose, or calcium. Mouse spleen cells responded like thymocytes to papaverine, but rat GH3 pituitary cell DNA syntesis was only transiently inhibited with no concomitant efflux of 3H into the medium. As expected, thymus cellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP), determined by the luciferin-luciferase reaction, decreased in the presence of papaverine; suprisingly, extracellular ATP fell as well. The results suggest that decreases in cellular ATP of mouse thymus cells leads to reductions of all nucleoside phosphates and the efflux of the resultant nucleosides. Papaverine may effect a decrease in the ATP levels by activating a phosphohydrolase rather than, or in addition to, the previously suggested inhibition of mitochondrial electron transport.

Early cutback in chemical energy production if the Crocker sarcoma (S180) undergoing haemorrhagic necrosis as a result of endotoxin administration

Alterations in the tumor adenine nucleotide pattern (TANP) have been measured at various times in a solid murine tumor undergoing haemorrhagic necrosis in vivo as a consequence of endotoxin administration. The ATP level fell rapidly in the first few hours; the AMP content initially rose, but began to fall back at 4 h. Overall adenine nucleotide losses occurred promptly, with only 4% of the original amount remaining at 24 h. Levels of glucose, glucose 6-phosphate, pyruvate, and lactate were also measured, and, with the exception of lactate, were for the most part lower in tumors from endotoxin-treated animals. Only minor alterations in the adenine nucleotide pattern were seen after either 4 or 24 h in the livers of normal or tumor-bearing mice in response to endotoxon injection, even when the creatures were moribund. The changes reported in the tumor are believed to have arisen not as a result of capillary stasis, but from prompt and selective disturbances to mitochondrial function in the tumor which have been described previously (Jones, 1977b, 1979).

Selective high metabolic lability of uridine, guanosine and cytosine triphosphates in response to glucose deprivation and refeeding of untransformed and polyoma virus-transformed hamster fibroblasts

Sugar deprivation of hamster fibroblasts (NIL) affected the steady state levels (pool sizes) of cellular acid soluble nucleotides in the folloing fashion: the pools of UTP, GTP and CTP decreased to a much greater extent than the cellular ATP pools, with the UTP pools undergoing the most dramatic reduction. Sugar deprivation of polyoma-transformed NIL cells (PyNIL) yielded even sharper decreases in the nucleoside triphosphate pools with relative changes similar to those of the untransformed cells. Inhibition of protein synthesis by cycloheximide, initiated at the onset of (and continued during) sugar deprivation, prevented the reduction in pool sizes and yielded values slightly higher than those observed for pool sizes in cells cultured in sugar-supplemented medium. Refeeding glucose to sugar-depleted hamster fibroblasts led to rapid increases (within 1 hour) in the UTP and CTP pools to levels well above the pool sizes observed in cells which were continuously cultured (16 hours) in sugar supplemented medium. Feeding NIL or PyNIL cells with fructose instead of glucose as the only hexose source did not appreciably affect any of the ribonucleoside triphosphate pool sizes. Measurements of hexose uptake by NIL and PyNIL cells under a variety of conditions suggest that hexose transport is not regulated by the total cellular pools of ATP or any of the other ribonucleoside triphosphates.