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The accumulation of aspartate in the presence of ethanol in rat liver.

ABSTRACT: 1. Isolated hepatocytes were used to establish the reasons for the accumulation of aspartate, previously observed when the isolated rat liver was perfused with ethanol in the presence of alanine or ammonium lactate. 2. The isolated cells did not form aspartate when incubated with alanine and ethanol, but much aspartate was formed on incubation with ammonium lactate and ethanol. 3. Urea was the main nitrogenous product on incubation with alanine, in contrast with the perfused liver, where major quantities of NH4+ are also formed. When the formation of urea was nullified by the addition of urease, alanine plus ethanol caused aspartate formation, indicating that aspartate formation depends on the presence of critical concentrations of NH4+. 4. The accumulated aspartate was present in the cytosol. Ethanol halved the content of 2-oxoglutarate in the cytosol and more than trebled that of glutamate in the mitochondria. 5. The findings support the assumption that 2-oxoglutarate formed by the mitochondrial aspartate aminotransferase is not translocated to the cytosol in the presence of ethanol and NH4+, because it is rapidly converted into glutamate, the dehydrogenation of ethanol providing the required NADH. Aspartate, however, is translocated to the cytosol and accumulates there because of the lack of stoicheiometric amounts of oxoglutarate.

SUBMITTER: Stubbs M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1165701 | biostudies-other | 1975 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Project description:1. The rate of gluconeogenesis from alanine in the perfused rat liver is affected by the presence of other metabolizable substances, especially fatty acids, ornithine and ethanol. Gluconeogenesis is accelerated by oleate and by ornithine. When both oleate and ornithine were present the acceleration was greater than expected on the basis of mere additive effects. 2. Much NH(3) and some urea were formed from alanine when no ornithine was added. With ornithine almost all the nitrogen released from alanine appeared as urea. 3. Lactate was a major product of alanine metabolism. Addition of oleate, and especially of oleate plus ornithine, decreased lactate formation. 4. Ethanol had no major effect on gluconeogenesis from alanine when this was the sole added precursor. Gluconeogenesis was strongly inhibited (87%) when oleate was also added, but ethanol greatly accelerated gluconeogenesis when ornithine was added together with alanine. 5. In the absence of ethanol the alanine carbon and alanine nitrogen removed were essentially recovered in the form of glucose, lactate, pyruvate, NH(3) and urea. 6. In the presence of ethanol the balance of both alanine carbon and alanine nitrogen showed substantial deficits. These deficits were largely accounted for by the formation of aspartate and glutamine, the formation of which was increased two- to three-fold. 7. When alanine was replaced by lactate plus NH(4)Cl, ethanol also caused a major accumulation of amino acids, especially of aspartate and alanine. 8. Earlier apparently discrepant results on the effects of ethanol on gluconeogenesis from alanine are explained by the fact that under well defined conditions ethanol can inhibit, or accelerate, or be without major effect on the rate of gluconeogenesis. 9. It is pointed out that in the synthesis of urea through the ornithine cycle half of the nitrogen must be supplied in the form of asparate and half in the form of carbamoyl phosphate. The accumulation of aspartate and other amino acids suggests that ethanol interferes with the control mechanisms which regulate the stoicheiometric formation of aspartate and carbamoyl phosphate.

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The accumulation of aspartate in the presence of ethanol in rat liver.

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