title: Effect of ammonia and methionine sulfoximine on myo-inositol transport in cultured astrocytes.
abstract: Ammonia causes astrocyte swelling which is abrogated by methionine sulfoximine (MSO). Since myo-inositol is an important osmolyte, we investigated the effects of ammonia and MSO on myoinositol flux in cultured astrocytes for periods up to 72 hours. Uptake of myo-inositol was significantly decreased by 26.7 (P < 0.05) and 39.3 (P < 0.006) percent after 48 hours of exposure to 5 or 10 mM ammonia, respectively. The maximum rate of uptake was 14.0+/-0.5 nmol/hour/mg protein which was reduced to 7.45+/-0.27 and 7.02+/-0.57 nmoles/hour/mg protein by 5 or 10 mM ammonia, respectively. The Kms by Michaelis-Menten equation for the control, and in the presence of 5, or 10 mM ammonia were 32.5+/-4.52, 44.4+/-5.82, and 39.3+/-7.0 microM, respectively. Kms by Hanes-Woolf plot for the control, 5, or 10 mM ammonia were 25, 45, and 40 microM, respectively. Treatment of astrocytes with either 5 or 10 mM NH4Cl for 6 hours caused a decrease in myo-inositol content by 66% and 58%, respectively. MSO (3 mM) partially diminished the ammonia-induced inhibition of myo-inositol uptake and decreased myo-inositol content by 31% after 24 hours. Additionally, ammonia increased myo-inositol efflux briefly through the fast efflux component but had little effect on myo-inositol efflux through the slow efflux component of astrocytes exposed to ammonia for up to 72 hours. Predominantly decreased myo-inositol influx coupled with brief efflux through the fast component may represent an adaptive response to diminish the extent of ammonia-induced astrocyte swelling.
authors.affiliation: Research Laboratories, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Miami, FL 33125, USA.
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Isaacks
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Bender
authors.forename: C Y
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Y F
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Norenberg
mesh_terms: D000641:Ammonia / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D001692:Biological Transport / Q000187:drug effects; D048429:Cell Size; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D007294:Inositol / Q000378:metabolism*; D007700:Kinetics; D008717:Methionine Sulfoximine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D013997:Time Factors