Studies on the metabolism of the rat retina with special reference to retinitis pigmentosa: I. Anaerobic glycolysis

Abstract

A detailed investigation has been made of certain aspects of the metabolism of normal retinas and of retinas from rats affected with retinitis pigmentosa. o 1. It has been confirmed that the rate of anaerobic glycolysis is less in affected retinas than in control retinas, even as young as 12 days of age, i.e. before the visual cells are fully differentiated. 2. The increase in the rate of retinal anaerobic glycolysis of normal retinas that occurs with age has been shown to be consistent with the idea that it takes place by an autocatalytic chemical reaction which is inhibited by one of the products. The implications of this have been discussed in relation to the curve from affected retinas. 3. The amount of CO2 produced during anaerobic glycolysis of both affected and normal retinas has been shown to be fully accounted for by the amount of lactic acid produced and the amount of glucose used. The absence of imbition of fluid into affected retinas has been shown. 4. A study of the effect of well-known metabolites on the rate of anaerobic glycolysis of the retina has shown certain fundamental differences in the mode of metabolism of affected and control retinas. It is postulated that there is a biochemical lesion in the affected retinas, similar to that produced by iodoacetate.