Metabolism of C(14)-glucose by Ascaridia galli

The fowl nematode Ascaridia galli employed in this experiment was obtained from the intestine of domestic fowls at the local market. The worms selected and washed several times in normal sterilized saline solution. Each about thirty of intact worms were incubated in 50 cc volume of special incubation flasks with incubation mixture consisting of 10 cc of Krebs-Ringer phosphate buffer (pH 7.4) to which were added universally labeled C14-glucose and non-radioactive carrier glucose so as to contain concentration of 200 mg per cent. The worms were allowed to incubation for 3 hours in Dubnoff metabolic shaking incubator at 38 C. After incubation period, respiratory CO(2) samples from central well of incubation flask were analysed for total CO(2) production rate and their specific activity of respiratory CO(2). Glycogen samples isolated from worms were analysed for uptake rate was determined by analyzing the difference of the glucose concentration in a medium before and after incubation period . Radioactivities of these series of experiments were counted by an endwindow Geiger-Muller counter as an infinitely thin samples. The quantitative analysis of C(14)-glucose utilized by Ascaridia galli was summarized as the following . The glucose uptake rate by A. galli was a mean value of 1.73+/-0.32 micro-mole per hour per gram of wet wt. and total CO(2) production rate by the worms averaged 8.44+/-1.11 micro-mole per hour per gram of wet wt. The relative specific activity of respiratory CO(2) (R.S.A CO(2)) averaged 2.68+/-0.38 per cent . Thus , a man of 2.68 per cent of total CO(2) production rate was originated from the glucose in the medium, therefore the rate of CO(2) production derived from medium glucose was a mean of 0.23+/-0.03 micro-mole per hour per gram of wet wt. Thus, the average value of 2.58+/-0.55 percent (R.G.D CO(2))of glucose utilized by the worms from the medium glucose was oxidized to respiratory CO2. The tissue concentration of glycogen in A. galli was a mean of 22.59+/-1.18 miligram per gram of wet wt or 2.26+/-0.123 percent per gram, and the turnover rate of glycogen pool yielded with a mean of 0.17+/-0.04 percent per hour or 0.037+/-0.006 miligram per hour per gram of wet wt. Therefore, a mean value of 16.37+/-4.04 per cent (R.G.D gly) of glucose was incorporated to the glycogen. These data account for that at least 18.95 per cent of the utilized glucose by the worms participated in furnishing the oxidation into respiratory CO(2) and the synthetic process into glycogen. According to the above data of the experiment, it is suggested in the metabolic process of glucose by Ascaridia galli that the synthetic process into the glycogen is more active than the oxidative process into the respiratory CO(2).

Metabolism of C(14)-acetate by cestodes

The adult worm and plerocercoid larva(sparganum) of Diphyllobothrium mansoni and Moniezia expansa employed in this experiment. The adult worms were divided into three portions, i.e. immature, mature and gravid proglottids, and each proglottids were incubated in 50 cc or 250 cc volume of special incubation flasks with incubation medium consisting of 10 cc of 25 cc of Krebs-Ringer phosphate buffer (pH 7.4). The incubation medium was added C(14)-acetate and non-radioactive carrier Na-acetate so as to contain acetate concentration of 50 mg per cent. The worms were allowed to incubate for 5 hours in the Dubnoff metabolic shaking incubator at 38 C. After incubation period, the lactate and pyruvate appearance rate, total CO(2) production tate, the turnover rates were employed as pervious report(Seo et al., 1965). The quantitative analysis of C(14)-acetate utilized by the adult worm and plerocercoid larva of D. mansoni and M. expansa were compared and discussed in this report. According to these data of the experiment, it is impressed that the fatty acid such as acetate may play a role of major part of their metabolism in the adult worm and plerocercoid larva of D. mansoni , whereas minor part of acetate participated in the metabolism by M. expansa.