title: Enhanced citrate synthase activity in human pancreatic cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Assuming that a high flux of carbohydrate is strictly connected with lipid synthesis in neoplastic cells, one can hypothesize that the activity of citrate synthase, which plays an important role in glucose to lipid conversion, is enhanced in pancreatic cancer. The aim of the present study was to verify this hypothesis.
  
  
  METHODS
  The activity of citrate synthase (as well as lactate and glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenases) was measured using tissue extract prepared from specimens (pancreatic cancer and control specimens taken from the adjacent pancreatic normal tissue) obtained from 24 patients with ductal carcinoma who underwent pancreatoduodenectomy or total pancreatomy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The average of citrate synthase activity in human pancreatic ductal carcinoma is significantly higher comparing with adjacent nonneoplastic tissue: 40.2 +/- 27.2 and 18.3 +/- 13.6 nmole/min/mg protein, respectively (P = 0.001). The lactate dehydrogenase and glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity in human pancreatic ductal carcinoma were also higher than in adjacent nonneoplastic tissues.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is likely that enhanced citrate synthase activity contributes to the conversion of glucose to lipids in pancreatic cancer providing substrate for membrane lipids synthesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland.
authors.forename: Beata
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schlichtholz
authors.forename: Jacek
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Turyn
authors.forename: Elzbieta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Goyke
authors.forename: Maciej
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Biernacki
authors.forename: Kazimierz
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jaskiewicz
authors.forename: Zbigniew
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Sledzinski
authors.forename: Julian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Swierczynski
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D021441:Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D002950:Citrate (si)-Synthase / Q000378:metabolism*; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D005954:Glucosephosphate Dehydrogenase / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase / Q000378:metabolism; D008055:Lipids / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008875:Middle Aged; D010179:Pancreas / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D008055:Lipids; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase; D005954:Glucosephosphate Dehydrogenase; D002950:Citrate (si)-Synthase; D005947:Glucose