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The Effect of Nitrous Oxide‐Induced Inactivation of Cobalamin on Plasma Amino Acid Levels in the Rat
Author(s) -
Deacon Rosemary,
Jennings Patricia,
Lumb M.,
Perry Janet,
Purkiss P.,
Chanarin I.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of haematology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 84
eISSN - 1600-0609
pISSN - 0036-553X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0609.1981.tb00483.x
Subject(s) - methionine , serine , chemistry , homocysteine , cobalamin , glycine , histidine , amino acid , methionine synthase , cysteine , biochemistry , vitamin b12 , enzyme
Rats were maintained in an atmosphere of equal volumes of oxygen/nitrous oxide (1/1) for up to 7 d and plasma levels of methionine, glycine, serine, histidine, homocysteine and S‐methylcysteine were measured. There was a fall in plasma methionine and a rise in plasma serine levels. There were no significant changes in glycine and histidine levels. Homocysteine and S‐methylcysteine were not detected in rat plasmas. The fall in plasma methionine was due to loss of cobalamin‐dependent methionine synthetase activity. The rise in plasma serine may be due to decline in its metabolism via methenyltetrahydrofolate cyclohydrolase which is concerned in oxidizing the methenyl‐carbon (=CH–), initially derived as a methylene‐carbon (–CH 2 –) from serine, to formate (–CHO).