The reduction of methemoglobin in human erythrocytes incubated with purine nucleosides

MYOCARDIAL BLOOD FLOW AND OXYGEN UPTAKE DURING ACUTE RED CELL VOLUME INCREMENTS

The role of red cell mass in the regulation of coronary blood flow and myocardial oxygen consumption has been examined after acute transfusion of sedimented red cells. Patients with substantial blood-loss anemia had a lower than normal left ventricular oxygen uptake, despite a high myocardial blood flow at rest. A 50% rise of hematocrit reduced coronary flow markedly. Although systemic arterial pressure, cardiac output, and left heart work rose, myocardial oxygen consumption was unchanged.

Red cell transfusion of normovolemic dogs resulted in a decrease of both myocardial flow and oxygen uptake associated with an elevation of time-tension index and left ventricular work, accelerated isometric contraction and prolonged systole. There was no evidence of ischemia or change of left ventricular hemodynamic parameters that would account for the reduced myocardial blood flow and oxygen uptake. These findings, in the presence of an increased oxygen carrying capacity and extraction, would appear to be related principally to enhanced blood viscosity.

Substrate utilization by Rana ridibunda erythrocytes

Various monosaccharides, including ribose, mannose, galactose, and urea, in combination with glucose, were studied to determine their efficacy in supporting the formation of pyruvate, lactate, 2,3-diphosphoglycerate and ATP in Rana ridibunda erythrocytes. Lactate formation was found to increase during the course of incubation in the presence of all the substrates. None of the studied substrates maintained cellular ATP levels. About 0.36 mumole of lactic acid per hour was produced for each mumol of ribose that was metabolized. The presence of 1 mM Na-iodoacetate accelerated the loss of ATP and lactate in the presence of either glucose or ribose. Additionally, ouabain suppressed lactate formation from ribose alone, as well as in combination with glucose. From the metabolic substrates studied, ribose was shown to be the most efficient substrate to support Rana ridibunda erythrocyte metabolism. Mannose, galactose and urea may also be used as alternative metabolic substrates by Rana ridibunda erythrocytes.

Methemoglobin reduction under near physiological conditions

Pure methemoglobin was prepared from fresh red cells and was used as substrate for methemoglobin reduction reaction. Two sources of methemoglobin reductase were used: (a) red cell hemolysate which was prepared by freezing and thawing of unwashed red cells; (b) purified methemoglobin reductase from bank blood. Methemoglobin reduction rate was measured in a mixture of pure methemoglobin (substrate) and hemolysate (enzyme). In other experiments the rate of methemoglobin reduction was measured in the above mixture with the addition of various other compounds such as NADH, cytochrome b5, and pure methemoglobin reductase. Only the addition of pure enzyme accelerated the rate of methemoglobin reduction. In other experiments, the rate of methemoglobin reduction was measured when the reduction reaction was carried out in the presence of various amounts of deoxyhemoglobin, globin, or albumin. It was shown that all proteins tested here decreased the reduction rate. It is concluded that (a) in the red cell, under normal conditions, only the activity of the methemoglobin reductase controls the speed of methemoglobin reduction, and (b) the inhibition of methemoglobin reduction by reduced hemoglobin is mostly nonspecific suggesting a noncompetitive reaction.

Kinetic analysis in single, intact cells by microspectrophotometry: evidence for two populations of erythrocytes in an individual heterozygous for glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency

A microspectrophotometric technique was used to measure the kinetics of methemoglobin reduction in intact, unaltered human erythrocytes. Reduction was catalyzed by endogenous NADPH-methemoglobin reductase in the presence of Nile Blue. The technique was applied to the study of erythrocytes from a female donor with decreased glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PD) activity. The individual was shown to be heterozygous for deficiency of G-6-PD. The kinetic study revealed two distinct populations of erythrocytes that were nearly equal in number. One cell population showed reduction rates between 0 and 25% of normal, whereas the second cell population displayed rates within the range seen for normal cells. Single-cell indices of cell size, cell hemoglobin content, and ratio of cell hemoglobin to cell size did not correlate with single-cell reduction rates and were not significantly different between the two populations. These results provide quantitative support for the X-inactivation hypothesis in G-6-PD deficiency.

Comparative aspects of methemoglobin formation and reduction in opossum (Didelphis virginiana) and human erythrocytes

Glucose-depleted, nitrite-treated opossum erythrocytes effectively reduce methemoglobin in an environment of physiological saline and added glucose does not accelerate the rate of reduction. In autologous plasma or 25 mM phosphate-buffered saline pH 7.4, added glucose significantly accelerates methemoglobin reduction in glucose-depleted, nitrite-treated opossum erythrocytes. Human red cells require added glucose to carry out reduction of methemoglobin and increased phosphate concentration or autologous plasma does not alter the rate of this process. Within the opossum red cell in vitro, autooxidation of hemoglobin proceeds at a much slower rate than that observed in human erythrocytes.

Riboflavin deficiency in man: effects on haemoglobin and reduced glutathione in erythrocytes of different ages

1. Erythrocytes (RBC) from control and marginally riboflavin-deficient subjects were fractionated into nine fractions using a discrete density gradient. 2. Glutathione reductase (NAD(P)H: glutathione oxidoreductase; EC 1.6.4.2) activity and aspartate aminotransferase (EC 2.6.1.1) activity (with and without the appropriate co-enzymes) reduced glutathione, methaemoglobin, sulphaemoglobin and oxyhaemoglobin and susceptibility to peroxide were measured in RBC in the different fractions. 3. Glutathione reductase and aspartate aminotransferase activities and concentrations of reduced glutathione and oxyhaemoglobin all declined with age, while methaemogloblin, sulphaemoglobin and susceptibility to peroxide increased with age. 4. The only significant differences noted in the RBC from marginally-riboflavin-deficient subjects by comparison with controls, were lower glutathione reductase activities and higher concentrations of methaemoglobin. 5. The role of riboflavin in those systems controlling RBC integrity is discussed.

Cow red blood cells. I. Effect of purines, pyrimidines, and nucleosides in bovine red cell glycolysis

Cow red cells, under in vitro incubation conditions, exhibit a comparatively low glycolytic rate of 0.56 +/- 0.05 micromol/(ml cells.h), with a ratio of lactate formed to glucose consumed of 1.58. It has been found that this low glycolytic rate can be stimulated 50--60% above the basal level in the presence of a variety of purine and pyrimidine compounds including adenosine, inosine, adenine, hypoxanthine, xanthine, and uracil. In contrast, calf red cells, which have a much higher glycolytic rate, display no discernible response to these agents. In attempts to elucidate the mechanism by which this stimulation takes place, both glucose transport and glycolytic enzyme activities were determined in the presence of these stimulators. Glucose influx in cow red cells, measured using the glucose analog 3-O-methyl-glucose, exhibits both a low Km of 117 microM and a Vmax of 0.38 micromol/(ml cells.min), and is unaltered in the presence of adenosine. On the other hand, hexokinase, which in normal hemolysates of cow red cells has an activity of 0.49 +/- 0.03 micromol/(g Hb.min). was found to be stimulated to 0.73 micromol/(g Hb.min) in the presence of adenine. Both pyruvate kinase and phosphofructokinase were unaffected by this compound. These data suggest that certain purines and pyrimidine compounds may exert their stimulatory effect on hexokinase activity, resulting in an augmentation of cow red cell glycolysis.

NADH diaphorase: an inherited variant associated with normal methemoglobin reduction

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