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Glycolytic, Hexose Monophosphate Shunt and Bactericidal Activities of Leukocytes in Ascorbic Acid Deficient Guinea Pigs

National Institute of Nutrition, Indian Council of Medical Research, Hyderabad-500007, India

It is well known that glycolytic and hexose monophosphate shunt activities of leukocytes increase during phagocytosis. The relevance of these metabolic changes to particle uptake and particle destruction is also well established. In the present study, these metabolic activities were studied to assess the phagocytic function of leukocytes isolated from ascorbic acid deficient guinea pigs. Glycolytic activity which provides the necessary energy for particle uptake was found to be decreased in both resting and phagocytizing leukocytes of ascorbic acid deficient guinea pigs. The direct oxidation of glucose through the hexose monophosphate shunt (HMS) was stimulated to a significantly lesser extent during phagocytosis in ascorbic acid deficient leukocytes. There was a progressive decline in phagocytosis induced shunt activity of leukocytes as the deficiency of ascorbic acid progressed. These findings show that particle uptake (as indicated by glycolytic activity) as well as particle destruction (as indicated by HMS activity) by leukocytes are impaired in ascorbic acid deficiency. Bactericidal capacity of leukocytes against Escherichia coli was also found to be low in ascorbic acid deficient guinea pigs as compared to those in the pair-fed control group.

KEY WORDS: • ascorbic acid deficiency • polymorphonuclear leukocytes • phagocytosis • bactericidal activity • glycolytic activity • hexose monophosphate shunt activity

Manuscript received 12 January 1977.