Enzyme activity and concentration of metabolites of the glycerophosphate shuttle cycle in the cortex and medulla during hyperbaric oxygen therapy for acute blood loss

Abstract

The study of the mechanisms of action of hyperbaric oxygenation (HBO) is not only of general pathological interest, but also of applied clinical importance because oxygen, under increased pressure, is a pharmacological agent which determines the therapeutic effect in many diseases [i, 5]. Among the oxygen-dependent systems, an important role in HBO is played by the redox system, which is responsible for energy formation in mitochondria. Effective tissue respiration requires a continuous supply of cytoplasmic hydrogen to the respiratory chain of mitochondria, in the composition of metabolites of shuttle cycles, the enzymes of which take part in the coordination of respiration and glycolysis [6, ii]. The glycerophosphate shuttle mechanism [13] is of great importance for function of the nervous system. Meanwhile, the dynamics of its metabolic reactions in the hypoxic brain against the background of HBO awaits elucidation. In the investigation described below activity of mitochondrial and cytosol glycerophosphate dehydrogenase and the concentrations of reduced and oxidized NAD and of glycerol-3phosphate (GP) in the brain were studied during hyperbaric oxygen therapy for acute blood IOSS.