No abstract

1. The ability of exogenously administered cyclic AMP (adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate) to exert andromimetic action on certain carbohydrate-metabolizing enzymes was investigated in the rat prostate gland and seminal vesicles. 2. Cyclic AMP, when injected concurrently with theophylline, produced marked increases in hexokinase, phosphofructokinase, glyceraldehyde phosphate dehydrogenase, pyruvate kinase, and two hexose monophosphate-shunt enzymes, as well as alpha-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase activity in accessory sexual tissues of castrated rats. The 6-N,2'-O-dibutyryl analogue of cyclic AMP caused increases of enzyme activity that were greater than those induced by the parent compound. 3. Time-course studies demonstrated that, whereas significant increases in the activities of most enzymes occurred within 4h after the injection of cyclic AMP, maximal increases were attained at 16-24h. 4. Increase in the activity of the various prostatic and vesicular enzymes was dependent on the dose of cyclic AMP; in most instances, 2.5mg of the cyclic nucleotide/rat was sufficient to elicit a statistically significant response. 5. Administration of cyclic AMP and theophylline also produced stimulation of enzyme activities in secondary sexual tissues of immature rats. 6. Cyclic AMP and theophylline did not affect significantly any of the enzymes studied in hepatic tissue. 7. Stimulation of various carbohydrate-metabolizing enzymes in the prostate gland and seminal vesicles by cyclic AMP was independent of adrenal function. 8. Concurrent treatment with actinomycin or cycloheximide prevented the cyclic AMP- and theophylline-induced increases in enzyme activities in both castrated and adrenalectomized-castrated animals. 9. Administration of a single dose of testosterone propionate (5.0mg/100g) to castrated rats caused a significant increase in cyclic AMP concentration in both accessory sexual tissues. 10. In addition, treatment with theophylline potentiated the effects of a submaximal dose of testosterone (1.0mg/100g) on all those prostatic and seminal-vesicular enzymes that are increased by exogenous cyclic AMP. 11. The evidence indicates that cyclic AMP may be involved in triggering the known metabolic actions of androgens on secondary sexual tissues of the rat.

No abstract

L-Phenylalanine was found to be a competitive inhibitor of pyruvate kinase in the rat prostate, seminal vesicles, uterus, and skeletal muscle. In contrast, L-alanine exerted no appreciable effect on pyruvate kinase activity but was capable of protecting against, as well as reversing, the inhibition produced by L-phenylalanine. The results suggest that the interactions between L-phenylalanine and L-alanine are important to the regulation of pyruvate kinase activity in tissues containing the M-type isozyme.

Interaction between 6-mercaptopurine, Cu2+ and the enzyme xanthine oxidase (EC 1.2.3.2.) was examined. Whereas Cu2+ was found to inhibit the enzyme, 6-mercaptopurine could protect as well as reverse the enzyme inhibition produced by the metal ion. The formation of a complex between 6-mercaptopurine and Cu2+ seems to be responsible for the observed effect. Job's [(1928) Ann. Chem. 9, 113] method has shown the composition of the complex to be 1:1. The apparent stability constant (log K value), as determined by Subhrama Rao & Raghav Rao's [(1955) J. Sci. Chem. Ind. Res. 143, 278], method is found to be 6.74. It is suggested that the formation of a stable complex between 6-mercaptopurine molecules and Cu2+ may be an additional mechanism of action of 6-mercaptopurine, particularly with reference to its anti-inflammatory properties.