Relationship between gluconeogenesis and glutathione redox state in rabbit kidney-cortex tubules

The intracellular glutathione redox state and the rate of glucose formation were studied in rabbit kidney-cortex tubules. In the presence of substrates effectively utilized for glucose formation, ie, aspartate + glycerol + octanoate, alanine + glycerol + octanoate, malate, or pyruvate, the intracellular reduced glutathione/oxidized glutathione (GSH/GSSG) ratios were significantly higher than those under conditions of negligible glucose production. Changes in the intracellular GSH/GSSG ratio corresponded to those in glucose-6-phosphate content and reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate/oxidized nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH/NADP(+)) ratio obtained from malate/pyruvate measurements. Gluconeogenesis stimulation by extracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) or inosine caused an elevation of the intracellular GSH/GSSG and NADPH/NADP(+) ratios, as well as glucose-6-phosphate level. Surprisingly, in the presence of 5 mmol/L glucose, both the intracellular GSH/GSSG and NADPH/NADP(+) ratios and glucose-6-phosphate content were almost as low as under conditions of negligible glucose synthesis. L-buthionine sulfoximine (BSO)-induced decline in both the intracellular glutathione level and redox state resulted in inhibition of gluconeogenesis accompanied by accumulation of phosphotrioses and a decrease in fructose-1,6-bisphosphate content, while cysteine precursors altered neither GSH redox state nor the rate of glucose formation. In view of the data, it seems likely that: (1) intensive gluconeogenesis rather than extracellular glucose is responsible for maintaining a high intracellular GSH/GSSG ratio due to effective glucose-6-phosphate delivery for NADPH generation via the pentose phosphate pathway; (2) a decline in the intracellular glutathione level and/or redox state causes a decrease in glucose synthesis resulting from a diminished flux through aldolase; (3) induced by cysteine precursors, elevation of the intracellular GSH level does not affect the rate of glucose formation, probably due to no changes in the intracellular GSH/GSSG ratio.