Total aminothioles of rat plasma under intraperitoneal and subcutaneous introduction of Homocysteine

Abstract

In the presented work a variation of total aminothiols (cysteine, glutathione, cysteinylglycine and homocysteine) in blood plasma have been shown at modelling hyperhomocysteinemia by daily intraperitoneal (0.6 mkmol/g body weight) and subcutaneous (0.12 mkmol/g body weight) introduction of homocysteine. During two weeks of the intraperitoneal introduction a significant concentration growth (from ~40 to 180 mkM) of cysteine was observed. We also observed a moderate change of concentration levels for glutathione (from 10‒15 to 30 mkM) and cysteinylglycine (from 1,5 to 4,5 mkM). The homocysteine level has decreased from 300 to 200‒250 mkM at second week of experiments. Experimental results with subcutaneous introduction were similar. In this case a stable homocysteine level (~70 mkM) and increase of cysteine level (to 60 mkM) was observed at second week. These data reflect dose-depended processes of organism adaptation to hyperhomocysteinemia, i.e. reinforced capability for homocysteine metabolism and at the same time retention low glutathione level which correlates with hyperhomocysteinemia degree and duration.