Changes in levels of glutathione and related compounds and activities of glutathione-related enzymes during rat liver regeneration.
The levels of glutathione and glutathione disulfide increased during the regeneration process of rat liver, reaching a maximum (about twice the control value) on day 2 and reverting to the normal level within 5 days. During this regeneration process, changes in the hepatic level of cysteine, glycine and glutamate, the substrates for glutathione synthesis, were determined. The cysteine level in liver increased, reaching a maximum on day 2 and returned to the normal level after 5 days. The levels of glycine and glutamate did not change. The enzyme activities of cystathionine-beta synthase and gamma-cystathionase for cysteine synthesis, and of gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase, which is a limiting enzyme for glutathione synthesis, were clearly increased in regenerating liver. The increase of glutathione level could be clearly accounted for by the elevation of these enzyme activities.
Teshigawara
M
M
Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, Japan.
Matsumoto
S
S
Tsuboi
S
S
Ohmori
S
S
D000818:Animals; D003541:Cystathionine beta-Synthase / Q000378:metabolism*; D003542:Cystathionine gamma-Lyase / Q000378:metabolism*; D003545:Cysteine / Q000378:metabolism; D005721:Glutamate-Cysteine Ligase / Q000378:metabolism*; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D005978:Glutathione / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism*; D019803:Glutathione Disulfide; D005998:Glycine / Q000378:metabolism; D006498:Hepatectomy; D008099:Liver / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*; D008115:Liver Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
D018698:Glutamic Acid; D003541:Cystathionine beta-Synthase; D003542:Cystathionine gamma-Lyase; D005721:Glutamate-Cysteine Ligase; D005978:Glutathione; D003545:Cysteine; D005998:Glycine; D019803:Glutathione Disulfide