AJP - Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology, Vol 256, Issue 2 423-G429, Copyright © 1989 by American Physiological Society
Quantitation of metabolites of isolated chicken enterocytes using NMR spectroscopy
P. G. Quirk, G. F. King, I. D. Campbell and C. A. Boyd
Department of Human Anatomy, University of Oxford, United Kingdom.
Isolated enterocytes prepared from chicken small intestine were studied by
proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Perchloric acid extracts of cells
were prepared from duodenum, jejunum, and ileum, and concentrations of 19
different metabolites were determined after the virtually complete
assignment of all peaks in the aliphatic region of the spectrum. High
concentrations of serine ethanolamine phosphodiester (SEP), creatine,
taurine, and acidic amino acids were found in all segment extracts.
Relatively high concentrations of SEP (approximately 12 mM) and acidic
amino acids (approximately 3.5 mM) were found in the ileum, whereas
creatine (3 mM) and lactate (6.5 mM) were found at higher concentrations in
jejunum. Taurine (approximately 8 mM), choline (0.5 mM), and betaine
(approximately 0.5 mM) were evenly distributed throughout the segments.
Fasting (40 h) led to substantial increases in the concentrations of
pyruvate, succinate, SEP, and taurine, while neutral hydrophobic amino acid
concentrations fell appreciably. The significance of the findings is
discussed, and the possible contributions of SEP, taurine, and choline to
membrane lipid homeostasis are considered.
