Metabolism of purine derivatives by the isolated cat heart

Role of nucleotides and nucleosides in the regulation of cardiac blood flow

The regulation of blood flow in the heart on a moment-to-moment basis is essential to meet changes in the oxygen demands of cardiac muscle. The signals that subserve this regulation are not all firmly established. Although the formation and release of adenosine by cardiac muscle during periods of hypoxia or regional ischemia in the heart are well known to produce regional vasodilation and salvage of at-risk myocardium, these extracellular actions of adenosine are believed to occur abluminally and thus do not explain the origin or predict the potent actions of intravascular adenosine. The notion that purines such as adenosine and adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) might be available to act in the lumen of the blood vessel has been proposed by the authors and others to help explain the regulation of blood flow in the heart in nonpathologic states. This article details the background and current understanding of the vascular actions of adenosine and ATP, defines the Nucleotide Axis Hypothesis, and reviews clinical studies in which its likely importance in the maintenance of blood flow in the heart has been investigated.

A historical perspective on the discovery of adenyl purines

In 1929, Drury and Szent-Gyorgyi described the effects of a simple extract of heart muscle and other tissues on the mammalian heart. This extract was identified as adenylic acid and found to have profound effects on the cardiovascular system. The discovery and identification of adenyl purines and their effects on the cardiovascular system has now extended to other biological functions such as neurotransmission, neuromodulation, and endocrine/exocrine secretory functions and beyond. This review examines the history of the discovery and identification of the many roles played by adenyl purines in regulation of physiological homeostasis.

Mast cell amines and inosineinduced vasoconstriction in the rat hind limb

Under certain circumstances injected inosine causes a net vasoconstrictive effect on the arterioles, which has been attributed to 5-hydroxytryptamine (5HT) released in response to adenosine type 3 (A₃) receptor stimulation of mast cells residing in the adventitia. We have sought further evidence for this hypothesis using blood vessels of the rat hind limb perfused in vitro at constant rate with a gelatin-containing physiological salt solution. Injection of inosine (2.7 mg) caused a rise in perfusion pressure, which was only slightly increased by inclusion of N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (100 μM) in the perfusate. Inclusion in the perfusate of cyproheptadine (1 μM), compound 48 80 (1 μg ml), 8-phenyltheophylline (1 μM) or 8-cyclopentyl-1,3 dipropylxanthine (0.1 μM) greatly reduced the pressor response to inosine. The pressor effect of injected 5HT (400 μg) was abolished by pre-treatment with cyproheptadine, but not by pre-treatment with compound 48 80. These results suggest that the net pressor response to injected inosine was mainly the result of an A₁ receptor-mediated release of 5HT, most probably from mast cells. No evidence was found for an involvement of A₃ receptor stimulation.

EFFECT OF ISCHEMIA ON ADENINE NUCLEOTIDES IN CARDIAC AND SKELETAL MUSCLE

Rabbit skeletal muscle contains 56% more ATP and 225% more creatine phosphate than rabbit cardiac muscle. With ischemia the per cent reduction in ATP and creatine phosphate is less in skeletal than cardiac muscle and ADP and AMP decrease in skeletal and increase in cardiac muscle, IMP is present in skeletal muscle and increases with ischemia, whereas it is absent in cardiac muscle but appears with ischemia. Adenosine, inosine, and hypoxanthine are absent in skeletal and cardiac muscle. Ischemia results in the appearance of adenosine, inosine, and hypoxanthine in cardiac muscle but only the latter two compounds appear in ischemic skeletal muscle. Although complete ischemia is required to demonstrate the presence of adenosine in cardiac muscle, the appearance of this nucleoside is nevertheless consistent with the hypothesis that under physiological conditions quantities of adenosine, undetectable by present methods, may play a role in the regulation of coronary blood flow.

Aging increases adenosine and inosine release by human fibroblast cultures

The effect of in vitro age and donor age on net release of adenosine and inosine was studied in cultures of normal human fibroblasts. Confluent cultures of low-(population doubling level [PDL] 23-25) and high- (PDL 43-45) passage human lung fibroblasts derived from a 16-week-old fetal donor (IMR-90) were incubated for 30 min in physiological saline and the release of adenosine and inosine into the saline was determined by HPLC. Release of adenosine and inosine into the saline bathing low-passage human skin fibroblasts derived from a 16-week-old fetal donor (GM6111) was also determined and compared with two strains of low-passage skin fibroblasts from aged (66-67 years) donors (GM3529 and GM3524). The release of adenosine and inosine by low-passage cultures of fetal lung fibroblasts was 911 and 225 pmol/30 min per mg protein, respectively. In high-passage cultures of lung fibroblasts, release of adenosine and inosine was significantly greater at 1403 and 351 pmol/30 min per mg protein, respectively. The release of adenosine and inosine by low-passage cultures of fetal skin fibroblasts was 250 and 179 pmol/30 min per mg protein, respectively. In low-passage skin fibroblasts from aged donors, release of adenosine and inosine was significantly greater at 583 and 652 pmol/30 min per mg protein, respectively. These results indicate that the net release of adenosine and inosine by cultured human fibroblasts into their extracellular environment is enhanced by in vitro aging of lung fibroblasts and is greater in skin fibroblast from aged donors.

Prostacyclin as neuromodulator in the sympathetically stimulated rabbit heart

Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) has previously been shown to inhibit sympathetic neurotransmission in different organs and species. Based on this inhibitory effect and on its reversal by cyclo-oxygenase inhibitors, PGE2 has been claimed to be a physiological modulator of in vivo release of norepinephrine (NE) from sympathetic nerves. It is now recognized that prostacyclin (PGI2) is the main cyclo-oxygenase product in the heart. We therefore addressed the question whether PGI2, within the same preparation, is formed in increased amounts during sympathetic nerve stimulation and has neuromodulatory activity. The effluent from isolated rabbit hearts subjected to sympathetic nerve stimulation or to infusion of NE or adenosine (ADO) was collected, and its content of PGE2 and 6-keto-PGF1 alpha (dehydration product of PGI2) was analyzed using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, operated in the negative ion/chemical ionization mode. Other hearts were infused with PGI2 and nerve stimulation induced outflow of endogenous NE into the effluent was analyzed using HPLC with electrochemical detection. Nerve stimulation at 5 or 10 Hz (before but not after adrenergic receptor blockade), as well as infusion of NE (10(-6)-10(-5)M) or ADO (10(-4)M) increased the cardiac outflow of 6-keto-PGF1 alpha. Basal and nerve stimulation induced efflux of 6-keto-PGF1 alpha was approximately 5 times higher than the corresponding efflux of PGE2. PGI2 dose-dependently inhibited the outflow of NE from sympathetically stimulated hearts, the inhibition at 10(-6)M being approximately 40%. On the basis of these observations we propose that PGI2 is a more likely candidate than PGE2 as a potential modulator of neurotransmission in cardiac tissue in vivo.

Possible mechanism of action of diazepam as an adenosine potentiator

Diazepam (10(-5)-3 X 10(-4) M) selectively enhanced the negative inotropic responses of guinea-pig atria and the relaxation of guinea-pig taenia coli caused by adenosine and ATP. In the atria, the effect of 2-chloroadenosine, a stable analog of adenosine, was not affected by diazepam. Segments of guinea-pig atria or taenia coli took up 3H-activity during incubation with [3H]adenosine but did not take up 32P-activity from [32P]ATP. Diazepam at concentrations sufficient to enhance the in vitro responses reduced by half the uptake of 3H-activity into the preparations. Adenosine (10(-6) M) and ATP (10(-6) M) were degraded to inactive inosine during incubation with atrial segments and their degradation was inhibited by diazepam. In contrast, in rat atria, diazepam did not enhance the negative inotropic effects of adenosine and ATP, and did not prevent the uptake of adenosine. These results suggest that in guinea-pig atria and taenia coli, diazepam like dipyridamole, acts as an adenosine potentiator by preventing the uptake and degradation of adenosine.

Adenosine-induced increase in myocardial adenine nucleotides without adenosine-induced systemic hypotension

In anaesthetized rabbits, the i.v. application of 1% adenosine (Ado) for 3 hours at a rate of 4 ml X h-1 X kg-1 body weight increased the myocardial tissue levels of adenine nucleotides (AN) above the normal values by 39%. This increase in ATP and the sum of AN is a metabolic effect of the continuous and high supply of Ado and does not result from the Ado-induced systemic hypotension: Neither a comparable hypotension and reduction of circulatory work induced by phentolamine nor a massive volume loading caused changes in the AN. The compensation of the Ado-induced hypotension by a simultaneous i.v. application of caffeine or xylometazoline did not interfere with the accumulation of AN. The increase in AN was less pronounced, if norepinephrine was infused to maintain normotension. The increase in AN occurred in left and right ventricular myocardium to a similar extent, although the pressure-volume-work of the left ventricle decreased, and that of the right ventricle increased during Ado-application.

The discovery of a rapidly metabolized polymeric tetraphosphate derivative of adenosine in perfused rat heart

The predicted presence in perfused rat hearts of a rapidly metabolized but hitherto unrecognized form of adenosine phosphate has been confirmed by specific radioactive labelling. The properties of the purified compound suggest that it is a heteropolymer of a small organic acid, phosphate and purine nucleoside in the proportions 1:4:1.

Papaverine enhances the effect of adenosine in guinea-pig atria

Papaverine, while enhancing the force of contraction of guinea-pig atria, remarkably and dose-dependently enhanced the negative inotropic response of the atria to adenosine. It also enhanced the actions of ATP and other adenine nucleotides, but not those of 2-chloroadenosine and ACh. At similar concentrations, papaverine inhibited the uptake of adenosine by the atrial tissue during incubation with adenosine. Adenosine in the medium was degraded to inactive inosine during incubation with the atrial tissue, and papaverine reduced its degradation. The enhancing effect of papaverine on the action of adenosine on guinea-pig atria was like those of dipyridamole, 6-(2-hydroxy-5-nitrobenzyl)thioguanosine and cinepazide. The effect seemed to be due mainly to inhibition of adenosine uptake into the tissue. Inhibition of adenosine degradation may also have contributed to the action of papaverine, but this action was probably much less important than inhibition of adenosine uptake.

Metabolic intervention to affect myocardial recovery following ischemia

Myocardial recovery during reperfusion following ischemia is critical to patient survival in a broad spectrum of clinical settings. Myocardial functional recovery following ischemia correlates well with recovery of myocardial adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Adenosine triphosphate recovery is uniformly incomplete during reperfusion following moderate ischemic injury and is therefore subject to manipulation by metabolic intervention. By definition ATP recovery is limited either by (1) energy availability and application in the phosphorylation of adenosine monophosphate (AMP) to ATP or (2) availability of AMP for this conversion. Experimental data suggest that substrate energy and the mechanisms required for its application in the creation of high energy phosphate bonds (AMP conversion to ATP) are more than adequate during reperfusion following moderate ischemic injury. Adenosine monophosphate availability, however, is inadequate following ischemia due to loss of diffusable adenine nucleotide purine metabolites. These purine precursors are necessary to fuel adenine nucleotide salvage pathways. Metabolic interventions that enhance AMP recovery rather than those that improve substrate energy availability during reperfusion are therefore recommended. The mechanisms of various metabolic interventions are discussed in this framework along with the rationale for or against their clinical application.

Hypoxia elicits liberation of anti-aggregatory substances from isolated rabbit hearts

The hypothesis was investigated that myocardial hypoxia stimulates the production of platelet anti-aggregatory substances in the heart. Rabbit hearts were perfused under normoxic or hypoxic conditions and the coronary and interstitial effluents from the hearts were separated. The occurrence of anti-aggregatory activity (AAA) in the interstitial effluent was detected in vitro from its capacity to inhibit ADP-induced platelet aggregation. The AAA in the effluent was deemed to be prostacyclin (PGI2) if its release was abolished by administration of indomethacin (5 X 10(-5) M) to the heart, and to be adenosine if it was abolished by incubation of the effluent with adenosine deaminase. During normoxic perfusion, only a minor efflux of AAA appeared from the heart; neither was the efflux appreciable during mild hypoxia (30 or 60% O2). Severe hypoxia (venous pO2 below 5 kPa), on the other hand, was associated with a marked release of AAA. Incubation of hypoxic effluent with adenosine deaminase resulted in a small loss of activity, indicating that the major part of the AAA was not ascribable to adenosine. After indomethacin treatment, significant amounts of AAA still appeared in the effluent during hypoxia. However, unlike the case before indomethacin, this AAA was completely destroyed by adenosine deaminase. From these data, we conclude that myocardial hypoxia can mobilize either of two independent mechanisms for protection against platelet aggregation: an activation of the synthesis and release of prostacyclin, and a more complete breakdown of ATP, leading to an increased formation and efflux of adenosine.

Metabolism of circulating adenosine by the porcine isolated perfused lung

Adenosine uptake was studied in the piglet isolated perfused lung by means of the single-circulation paired-tracer dilution technique. Adenosine was efficiently taken up from the pulmonary vascular bed, and the process was potently inhibited by dipyridamole. Following uptake, adenosine was incorporated into intracellular nucleotides, and at low perfusate concentrations, little or none of the incorporated radioactivity returned to the circulation. At higher concentrations, cellular uptake was saturable and products of intracellular catabolism (inosine and hypoxanthine) were returned to the circulation. Perfusion of low concentrations of adenosine after inhibition of pulmonary adenosine kinase led to a proportional decrease in the retention of nucleotides and to a release of inosine and hypoxanthine. A small proportion of adenosine was metabolised extracellularly by adenosine deaminase; this activity was not released from perfused lungs and is apparently an ecto-enzyme.

Release of two vasodilators, adenosine and prostacyclin, from isolated rabbit hearts during controlled hypoxia

The release of two locally formed vasodilators, adenosine and prostacyclin (PGI2), from hearts subjected to different degrees of hypoxia was investigated. Isolated rabbit hearts were perfused according to Langendorff with Tyrode solution, saturated with gas mixtures containing 8-95% O2 and 5% CO2 in N2. Coronary flow rate, O2 extraction and uptake, and cardiac production of lactate, purines and 6-keto-PGF1 alpha (the stable metabolite of PGI2) were determined. During perfusion of the hearts with a solution saturated with 95% O2, release of lactate, 6-keto-PGF1 alpha and purines was very low: lactate was liberated at a rate of about 5 mumol/100 g . min, purine release corresponded to 2% of the total adenosine nucleotide content of the heart per hour and the release of 6-keto-PGF1 alpha was about 150 mumol/100 g . min. During hypoxia there was a graded release of lactate and purines from the heart, as well as a liberation of 6-keto-PGF1 alpha. Mild hypoxia (60% O2 in the gas mixture) elicited a 160% increase in the formation of lactate and a 40% increase in the release of purines. During severe hypoxia (8% O2 in the gas mixture) the release of lactate and purines increased by more than 2000%. In contrast, the release of 6-keto-PGF1 alpha never increased more than 80% at any degree of hypoxia, neither did it correlate to the severity of the hypoxia. From these data we conclude that of the two vasodilating agents formed in the heart, adenosine and prostacyclin, the former is probably more important in the regulation of coronary flow.

Effects of adenosine transport inhibitors on adenosine- and nerve-mediated relaxations of guinea pig taenia caeci

Dipyridamole and 6-thiobenzyl derivatives of guanosine and inosine were studied in isolated guinea pig taenia caeci with respect to their direct relaxing effects and their influence on relaxations caused by adenosine and nonadrenergic inhibitory nerve stimulation. Direct inhibitory effects were noted with all drugs at 10 microM and these were usually reversible. All inhibitors potentiated the relaxant effects of a submaximal concentration of adenosine in a concentration dependent manner and the potentiating effects persisted for at least 2-3 h after washout of inhibitors. Among the nucleoside-type inhibitors 6-[(4-nitrobenzyl-thio]-purine riboside (NBMPR) was slightly more potent and longer lasting than the others and showed less direct depressant actions. Adenosine concentration-response curves were shifted to the left by all inhibitors but relaxations caused by 2-chloroadenosine remained unaffected. Frequency response curves (0.2-5 s-1), obtained under conditions of selective stimulation of nonadrenergic inhibitory nerves, were not affected by any of the nucleoside-type inhibitors while dipyridamole caused small but significant enhancement of relaxations at low frequencies only. All inhibitors shifted concentration-response curves of adenosine, but not of 2-chloroadenosine, to the left.

Prevention of ATP catabolism during myocardial ischemia: a preliminary report

The enhancement of ATP regeneration following global myocardial ischemia in dogs by both ATP catabolic enzyme blockade and precursor infusion was investigated. The breakdown of AMP to adenosine is catalyzed by 5'-nucleotidase and this enzyme was inhibited during the ischemic period with either concanavalin A (Con A, 3 mg/kg) or alpha, beta-methyleneadenosine 5'-diphosphate (AMP-CP, 250 microM). To provide additional ATP precursors, adenine (30 mg/kg) and ribose (25 mg/kg) (A/R) were also infused into the coronary vasculature during ischemia and recovery on cardiopulmonary bypass. Left ventricular myocardial ATP levels in control animals decreased to 52% of preischemic values during aortic cross clamping, but ATP levels in dogs treated with AMP-CP + A/R fell to only 67% of preischemic values (P less than 0.05). During reperfusion, ATP levels in Con A + A/R (3.43 +/- 0.26 mumol/g wet wt) and AMP-CP + A/R (3.77 +/- 0.42) treated animals were higher than values found in control dogs (2.73 +/- 0.16, P less than 0.05). Infusions of A/R alone without enzyme inhibition did not increase ATP regeneration. The adenine nucleotide energy charge ratio was also increased by enzyme blockade with either inhibitor when combined with precursor infusion. On bypass, left ventricular myocardial blood flow (measured by the microsphere technique) was increased by 140% (P less than 0.01) over control values in all groups receiving A/R; therefore, enhanced ATP levels were not merely the result of increased flow. Renal blood flow was not adversely affected by this combination of drugs as has been previously found with adenosine infusion and inhibition of adenosine catabolism.

In perfused rat hearts ischaemia promotes the reversible conversion of appreciable quantities of soluble adenine nucleotides to a stable trichloroacetic acid-precipitable form

Radioactivity from [14C] adenosine was linearly incorporated into tissue nucleotides in perfused rat hearts. All the TCA-extractable 14C was confined to the purine nucleoside phosphates for up to 1 h of perfusion. Radioactivity was also incorporated linearly into the TCA-insoluble fraction, which by 40 min accounted for 24% of the tissue 14 C. Estimates based on precursor specific radioactivity suggest that at least 0.6 micro mol/g of the mononucleotide is in this stable insoluble form. Following 2 min total ischaemia, the tissue nucleotide content and soluble radioactivity decreased while the insoluble radioactivity showed a corresponding increase to account now for 35% of the tissue radiolabel. This redistribution was rapidly reversed by post-ischaemic reperfusion. A possible function for the rapid reversible sequestration of adenine nucleotides in ischaemia is proposed.

Potentiation by dilazep on the negative inotropic effect of adenosine on guinea-pig atria

1 Dilazep, a coronary dilator, has been reported to potentiate the negative inotropic and negative chronotropic responses of guinea-pig atria to adenosine. Studies were made on the mechanism of the potentiating action of dilazep with special reference to the degradation and uptake of adenosine. 2 The negative inotropic actions of adenosine and adenine nucleotides, such as ATP, ADP, AMP and cyclic AMP, on guinea-pig atria were selectively and dose-dependently augmented by dilazep at concentrations insufficient to produce any effect alone (0.01 to 1 microM). 3 Incubation of atrial tissue with 8.8 nM adenosine, containing 0.1 microCi of [3H]-adenosine, resulted in accumulation of [3H]-adenosine in the tissue; dilazep (0.01 to 1 microM) inhibited this accumulation. 4 Adenosine (10 microM to 10 mM) was degraded to inosine and hypoxanthine during incubation with atrial tissue; dilazep (0.1 to 10 microM) retarded the disappearance of adenosine and the formation of inosine and hypoxanthine. 5 These results suggest that dilazep potentiates the negative inotropic effect of adenosine on guinea-pig atria by preventing both its accumulation by atrial tissue and degradation by deaminase.

Structural specificity of nucleotides for insulin secretory action from the isolated perfused rat pancreas

The study concerned the effects of variuos nucleotides on the insulin secretion from the isolated perfused rat pancreas. ATP, the first nucleotide studied, increased the insulin release induced by glucose 1.5 g/l. There was a first immediate peak followed by a second significant and durable increase. The log dose-response curve was linear for concentrations ranging from 0.825 microM to 330 microM. The effects of natural adenine derivatives (ATP, ADP, 5' AMP, cAMP and adenosine) were compared. ATP was the most active compound; ADP had nearly the same activity as ATP (relative potency ATP/ADP = 3.2); 5' AMP, cAMP and adenosine displayed a very weak activity (about 100 fold less active). Adenylimido-diphosphate (AMP-PNP), a non-phosphorylating structural analogue of ATP, clearly stimulated insulin secretion and its effect was concentration-related. It was about 10 fold less active than ATP. The comparison of triphosphorylated derivatives from various purine nucleosides (ATP, GTP, ITP) or pyrimidine nucleosides (CTP and UTP) showed that only the purine derivatives had a strong insulin secretory effect with, in order of decreasing activity: ATP greater than GTP greater than ITP. These results show that certain structural features (purine basis and di- or triphosphate groups) are essential to elicit an insulin secretory effect.

The specificity of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in reducing coronary vascular resistance: A comparison with adenosine

Experiments were performed on the isolated, electrically driven guinea-pig heart, perfused at constant rate. All animals were pretreated with reserpine. Myocardial contractile force (MCF), coronary perfusion pressure (CPP) and myocardial oxygen consumption (QO2) were monitored continuously. Both adenosine (ADO) and PGE2 produced a concentration-dependent decrease in the CPP. The ED50 (50% of maximum response) was 2.1 +/- 0.6 X 10(-9)M for PGE2 but 40 +/- 7 X 10(-9)M for ADO (P less than 0.01) at 1.8 mM Ca(e). This coronary vasodilation was independent of the external Ca-concentration, which was varied between 0.55-9.0 mM. PGE2 had no effect on MCF or QO2 and the effect of ADO was only slight. There was no evidence that any action of ADO could be inhibited by simultaneously applied PGE2. The results provide evidence for the specific coronary vasodilating action of PGE2 which in this system is about 20 times as effective as adenosine.

Adenosine metabolism in canine myocardial reactive hyperemia

In pentobrabital-anesthetized open chest dogs, myocardial adenosine content is elevated by 5 or 15 seconds of left coronary artery occlusion and falls exponentially to control levels during reactive hyperemia. The rate constants for adenosine dissipation are (mean +/- SEM): -0.08 +/- 0.01 and -0.034 +/- 0.007 sec-1 after 5- and 15-second occlusion, respectively. Kinetic analysis of the reactive hyperemia flow curves (Circ Res 14/15 (suppl I): 81-85, 1963) predicts rates of -0.069 +/- 0.009 sec-1 and -0.04 +/- 0.009 sec-1, indicating that changes in adenosine levels can account for the way coronary flow changes during this response. The log (dose-) response curve relating reactive hyperemia flow to tissue adenosine concentration has a steeper slope and is half-maximal at a lower adenosine concentration than the dose-response curve obtained by intracoronary infusions of adenosine in oxygenated hearts, indicating that the coronary vasoactivity of adenosine is enhanced during reactive hyperemia. This could explain why theophylline antagonizes the coronary vasocilatory effect of adenosine in oxygenated hearts but has relatively little effect on reactive hyperemia.

Transport and metabolism of adenosine in human blood platelets

The uptake and metabolism of [14C]- or E[3H] adenosine have been studied in suspensions of washed platelets and in platelet rich plasma. The appearance of radioactivity in the platelets and the formation of radioactive adenosine metabolites have been used to determine the uptake. Adenosine is transported into human blood platelets by two different systems: a low Km system (9.8 muM) which is competitively inhibited by papaverine, and a high Km system (9.4 mM) which is competitively inhibited by adenine. Adenosine transported via the low Km system is probably directly incorporated into adenine nucleotides, while adenosine transported through the high Km system arrives unchanged inside the platelet and is then converted into inosine and hypoxanthine or incorporated into adenine nucleotides.

Effect of adenosine on the adenine nucleotide content and metabolism of hepatocytes

ADENOSINE (0.5 MM) added to hepatocyte suspensions increased the intracellular concentration of ATP and total adenine nucleotides within 60 min up to three-fold. 2. Adenosine at 0.5 mM inhibited gluconeogenesis from lactate by about 50%. At higher adenosine concentrations the inhibition was less. There was no strict parallelism between the time-course of the increase of the adenine nucleotide content and the time-course of the inhibition of gluconeogenesis from lactate. 3. Adenosine abolished the accelerating effects of oleate and dibutyryl cyclic AMP on gluconeogenesis from lactate. 4. Gluconeogenesis was no significant effect of adenosine with fructose, dihydroxyacetone or glycerol. With asparagine, adenosine caused anacceleration of glucose formation. 5. Adenosine incorporation into adenine nucleotides accounted for about 20% of the adenosine removal. 6. Inosine, hypoxanthine or adenine compared with adenosine gave relatively slight increases of adenine nucleotides. 7. Urea synthesis from NH4Cl under optimum conditions i.e. in the presence of ornithine, lactate and oleate, was also inhibited by adenosine. The inhibition increased with the adenosine concentration and was 65% at 4 mM-adenosine. Again there was no correlation between the degree of inhibition of urea synthesis and the increase in the adenine nucleotide content. 8. The basal O2 consumption, the increased O2 consumption on the addition of oleate and the rate of formation of ketone bodies were not affected by the addition of adenosine. The [beta-hydroxybutyrate]/[acetoacetate] ratio was increased by adenosine, provided that lactate was present. 9. The increase of the adenine nucleotide content of the hepatocytes on the addition of adenosine may be explained on the assumption that adenosine kinase is not regulated by feedback but by substrate supply.

Characterization of the metabolism of exogenous cyclic AMP by perfused rat heart and incubated prepubertal rat ovary

In order to study the metabolism of extracellular 3',5'-adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), rat hearts were perfused and prepubertal rat ovaries incubated with 3H- and 32P-labelled cAMP (0.025-1 muM). The rate of disappearance of cAMP from the medium was determined by "Ba-Zn-precipitation" and degradation products of 3H- and 32P-CAMP by paper chromatography. Both tissues degraded cAMP to 5'-adenosine monophosphate (AMP), but the enzyme kinetic for this phosphodiesterase activity was different (apparent Km value for the heart 3.95 muM and for the ovary 0.2 muM). AMP was further degraded, since also other labelled substances were found in the medium. An uptake of both 3H- and 32P-labelled substance(s) into the heart and the ovary was noticed. Tissue extracts contained several labelled purines, but the amounts of labelled cAMP did not exceed expected amounts in the extracellular space. In the ovary the uptake of cAMP and AMP seemed to be low, since the uptake of labelled substances was inhibited by high concentrations of unlabelled AMP or adenosine. The degradation of 32P-cAMP was unchanged when AMP was present, strongly suggesting that the phosphodiesterase enzyme was acting extracellularly. In the heart added AMP was very rapidly degraded making it impossible to elucidate whether cAMP was degraded extracellularly or not. It is concluded that elimination of extracellular cAMP under physiological conditions can be due to degradation of cAMP by various tissues. At least for the ovary this phosphodiesterase enzyme is extracellularly active.

Coronary responses to dilating substances and competitive inhibition by theophylline in the isolated perfused guinea pig heart

Coronary dilation induced by infusion of adenosine, adenine nucleotides, dipyridamole, and papaverine was quantitated in the spontaneously beating isolated perfused guinea pig heart. Theophylline antagonized the effects of all the substances tested. The inhibition proved to be reversible and of a competititve type. Single injections of ADP and ATP induced flow increases which were more rapid in onset and of greater magnitude than those due to equimolar amounts of adenosine. Lowering the perfusate temperature prolonged coronary responses to ADP and ATP more than those to adenosine. Papaverine produced greater maximal dilation than adenosine. Theophylline inhibited papaverine-induced dilation less effectively than dilating responses to adenosine and other compounds. In the potassium arrested heart, the dilation caused by compound D 600 and papaverine was sensitive to the perfusate calcium concentration but that due to adenosine was unaffected. Dipyridamole, which was equipotent to adenosine in the non-arrested hear, became less potent than adenosine in the arrested heart. The results favour the view that all of the substances tested induce coronary dilation per se and that their effects are not mediated by adenosine. The dilator response to papaverine is assumed to be the result of two effects, one of which is inhibited by theophylline, the other by high extracellular calcium.

5'-Nucleotidase from smooth muscle of small intestine and from brain. Inhibition of nucleotides

5'-Nucleotidase prepared from muscle of small intesting of pig is strongly inhibited by nucleoside di- and triphosphates and their phosphonate analogs. Substrate kinetics appromate the Michaelis-Menten for for AMP, which shows a Km of 3-6 muM at pH 5.3-7.2. Inhibition is characterized as partial competitive, except at pH 5.3, where inhibition by ATP is noncompetitive. The Ki values for several inhibitors have been determined, and their departure from completeness of competitive inhibition has been studied. Inhibitor cooperativity of the type reported for the enzyme from sheep brain (P. L. Ipata (1968), Biochemistry 7, 507) was not observed for the enzyme from gut. In addition we failed to confirm sigmoid inhibition kinetics with 5'-nucleotidase from sheep brain.

Effect of beta-adrenergic stimulation on myocardial adenine nucleotide metabolism

The effects of isoproterenol, propranolol, and compound D600 (α-isopropyl-α-[( N -methyl- N -homoveratryl)-γ-aminopropyl1-3, 4, 5-trimethoxyphenylacetonitrile) on myocardial adenine nucleotide metabolism were studied in rat hearts in situ. Isoproterenol in doses between 0.1 and 25 mg/kg induced an increase in heart rate concomitant with a significant acceleration in the de novo synthesis of adenine nucleotides (ATP, ADP, and AMP) and a diminution in their concentration. The effects of isoproterenol were antagonized by propranolol (1 and 50 mg/kg), which alone caused a reduction in the de novo synthesis of adenine nucleotides without inducing a change in their concentration. Compound D600 (10 mg/kg) brought about a slight elevation in the concentration of adenine nucleotides but did not influence the rate of de novo synthesis. The isoproterenol-induced diminution in adenine nucleotide concentration was prevented by D600; under these conditions, the acceleration of de novo synthesis was attenuated. These findings indicate that de novo synthesis of myocardial adenine nucleotides in the normal and the isoproterenol-stimulated heart is regulated not only by a feedback mechanism dependent on the concentration of adenine nucleotides but also by β-receptor-mediated alterations in carbohydrate metabolism which can cause changes in the size of the available pool of 5-phosphoribosyl-1-pyrophosphate.

Myocardial nucleotide synthesis from purine bases and nucleosides. Comparison of the rates of formation of purine nucleotides from various precursors and identification of the enzymatic routes for nucleotide formation in the isolated rat heart

14 C-Labeled adenosine, inosine, hypoxanthine, and adenine were extracted by the isolated rat heart in amounts proportional to their concentration in the perfusion medium between 0.05 and 5 µM. With each of the precursor materials, nearly all of the radioactivity retained by the heart was identified as acid-soluble nucleotide. Nucleotide formation from the four isotopic precursors occurred at similar rates when the concentration of the precursors was below 1 µM. Above this concentration, the heart appeared to utilize adenosine for nucleotide synthesis at rates three to five times those for the other purines. Several experimental approaches were employed to determine the predominant enzymatic routes in the rat heart for the conversion of the nucleosides adenosine and inosine to nucleotides. The results indicated that adenosine was directly phosphorylated to 5'-adenosine monophosphate by a nucleoside kinase. Inosine appeared to proceed to the nucleotide, at least partially, through an initial conversion to hypoxanthine.

De novo synthesis of myocardial adenine nucleotides in the rat. Acceleration during recovery from oxygen deficiency

De novo synthesis of adenine nucleotides was measured in rat hearts in situ and in isolated perfused rat hearts under normal conditions and during recovery from asphyxia or ischemia. Using l- 14 C-glycine as the precursor substrate, rates of de novo synthesis were determined from the total radioactivity of adenine nucleotides and from the mean specific activity of intracellular glycine. The rate of de novo synthesis of adenine nucleotides was 8.4±1.42 nmoles/g hour -1 in the heart in situ and 1.3±0.12 nmoles/g hour -1 in the isolated perfused heart. De novo synthesis of adenine nucleotides increased almost 100% in the heart in situ and about 580% in the isolated perfused heart during the first hour of recovery from asphyxia or ischemia. This acceleration is regarded as an adaptive process contributing to the postanoxic restoration of normal adenine nucleotide levels. Possible biochemical mechanisms that might be involved in the stimulation of the de novo pathway are a release of feedback inhibition of 5-phosphoribosyl-1-pyrophosphate amidotransferase, an enhanced synthesis of 5-phosphoribosyl-1-pyrophosphate, and an alternate way of 5-phosphoribosyl-amine formation.