Comparison of the inhibitory effects of mercuric chloride on cytosolic and mitochondrial hexokinase activities in rat brain, kidney and spleen

Activities of glucose-metabolizing enzymes in experimental neurotoxic models with lipoate as an alleviator

Acrylamide (35 mg kg(-1) body wt, i.p.) and mercuric chloride (1 mg kg(-1)body wt, i.m.) were administered as specific and non-specific toxins, respectively, to induce neurotoxicity in rats for a period of 10 days. Two different concentrations (35 and 70 mg kg(-1) body wt, i.p.) of lipoic acid were given as prophylactic therapy to mitigate the toxic neuropathies. Homogenates of cerebrum, cerebellum and sciatic nerves were used for the determination of the activities of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), neuron-specific enolase (NSE), hexokinase, phosphoglucoisomerase, aldolase and glucose-6-phosphatase. Inhibition of the activities of these glucose-metabolizing enzymes by the neurotoxins emphasizes the reduction in glucose utilization by the neural tissues to impart its normal function. The degree of inhibition of the enzymes varies with both of the toxins. Acrylamide seems to be a specific inhibitor of GAPDH and NSE, whereas the inhibition caused by HgCl(2) on the enzymes was more general. Enhanced activities of the enzymes indicate increased glucose utility on lipoate administration. This result may be due to the detoxifying potency and possibly due to the cofactor vitality of lipoate.

Hexokinase in astrocytes: kinetic and regulatory properties

Hexokinase (HK, EC 2.7.1.1) is a key enzyme in the control of brain glucose metabolism. The regulatory role of HK in different neural cell types has not been elucidated. In this study we determined some kinetic and regulatory properties of HK in mouse cerebrocortical astrocytes in primary culture. Astroglial HK showed an absolute requirement for Mg-ATP and D-glucose. The pH optimum of HK was between 7.4 and 8.0. For astroglial HK, the Km for Mg-ATP was approximately 208 microM and Vmax approximately 35.4 mU/mg protein. At levels higher than 0.2 mM, D-glucose-1,6-bisphosphate, a known regulator of glycolysis, inhibited astroglial HK in a concentration-dependent manner, with an IC50 of approximately 0.4 mM; at 1.2 mM, it almost completely inhibited HK activity. The results obtained for astroglial HK are compatible with those reported for the highly purified preparations of brain HK. These data are of direct relevance to the assessment of glycolytic flux and its regulation in astrocytes.

Glutamate: a potential mediator of inorganic mercury neurotoxicity

Exposure to mercury vapor (Hg0) produces neurotoxic effects which are for the most part subsequent to its biotransformation in brain to the mercuric cation (Hg2 +), which has an exceptionally strong affinity towards the SH groups in proteins. However, neurologic symptoms are often encountered in subjects in which Hg+ concentration in the brain remains in the submicromolar range, markedly below the anticipated threshold for direct inhibition of cerebral metabolism and function. In this report we review biochemical and morphological evidence obtained in this and other laboratories in tissue culture studies suggesting that in such instances mercury neurotoxicity may be mediated by excitotoxic activity of glutamate (GLU). Mercuric chloride (MC) at 1 microM concentration (or less) inhibits GLU uptake and stimulates GLU release in cultured astrocytes, which in vivo is likely to result in excessive GLU accumulation in the extracellular space of the CNS. Inhibition of GLU uptake and stimulation of GLU release by MC may be attenuated by addition to the cultures of a cell membrane-penetrating agent dithiothreitol (DTT) but not of glutathione (GSH), which is not transported to the inside of the cells. However, MC-stimulated release of GLU is suppressed when the intracellular GSH levels are increased by metabolic manipulation. The results indicate that the MC-vulnerable SH groups critical for GLU transport are located within the astrocytic membranes. Ultrastructural evidence for GLU-mediated MC neurotoxicity came from studies in an organotypic culture of rat cerebellum. We have shown that: 1) 1 microM MC lowers the threshold of GLU neurotoxicity, 2) the combined neurotoxic effect of GLU plus MC is attenuated by DTT but not by GSH, which is consistent with the involvement of impaired astrocytic GLU transport, and 3) neuronal damage induced by GLU plus MC becomes less accentuated in a medium with dizocilpine (MK-801), a noncompetitive NMDA receptor antagonist.