title: Determinants of the S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH) technique for the local assessment of cardiac free cytosolic adenosine.
abstract: The S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH) technique allows the estimation of the free cytosolic adenosine concentration using the kinetic properties of the enzyme SAH-hydrolase (adenosine+homocysteine reversible SAH+H2O). Besides the cytosolic adenosine concentration, the local SAH signal may also depend on the local homocysteine availability, the continuous production of SAH from S-adenosylmethionine (SAM-->SAH+CH3) and the activity of the enzyme SAH-hydrolase. These variables were studied with high spatial resolution (sample dry mass 25 mg) in left ventricular myocardium from 26 anesthetized open-chest dogs in which heart rate averaged 86 +/- 14 beats/min and mean aortic pressure 96 +/- 17 mmHg. Homocysteine infusion (48 mg/kg i.v.) increased the normal plasma homocysteine concentration from 5.0 +/- 0.8 to 586 +/- 40 microM after 30 min when the average tissue concentration was 94% of the plasma concentration and similar in low and high flow areas (flow range 0.04 to 1.91 ml/min/g). Local SAH content was 1.18 +/- 0.48 nmol/g under control conditions and increased to 4.33 +/- 0.59 nmol/g within 60 min following competitive blockage of the SAH-hydrolase by adenosine dialdehyde (10 mumol/kg i.v.). This increase of the SAH content was slightly more in high than in low-flow areas (P < 0.01). Regional SAH-hydrolase activity (9.0 +/- 0.5 nmol/min/g) was comparable in high and low flow areas. All three variables exhibited an observed variability which was larger than the methodical variability suggesting significant spatial heterogeneity in the myocardium. A regrouping analysis indicated that between four and five samples taken from distant sites should be averaged to obtain a robust estimate of the above metabolic parameters. Reconciling the measurements with a mathematical model of cardiac adenosine metabolism and fitting of the measured SAH tissue levels gave an estimate of 72 pmol/min/g for the mean transmethylation rate. Estimates of the cytosolic adenosine concentration of cardiomyocytes and endothelial cells under control physiological conditions were 24 and 7 microM, respectively. Thus, the present measurements provide a basis for the quantitative assessment of the local cytosolic adenosine concentration in relation to blood flow.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Herz- und Kreislaufphysiologie, Düsseldorf, Germany.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Loncar
authors.forename: C W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Flesche
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Deussen
mesh_terms: D000241:Adenosine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D043383:Adenosylhomocysteinase; D000818:Animals; D003600:Cytosol / Q000378:metabolism; D004285:Dogs; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D006867:Hydrolases / Q000378:metabolism; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism*; D012435:S-Adenosylhomocysteine / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D006710:Homocysteine; C027579:periodate-oxidized adenosine; D012435:S-Adenosylhomocysteine; C007957:homocysteine thiolactone; D006867:Hydrolases; D043383:Adenosylhomocysteinase; D000241:Adenosine