Amino acid transport is down-regulated in ischemic human intestinal epithelial cells

Amino acid transport across the plasma membrane is essential for supplying enterocytes with amino acids for cellular metabolism. We studied amino acid transport during ischemic conditions using human intestinal epithelial cell line Caco-2. Cells were incubated under nutrient-deprived (phosphate-buffered saline, PBS), hypoxic, and ischemic (PBS+hypoxia) conditions. Ischemia resulted in a significant decrease in glutamine transport by a mechanism that decreased V(max) without affecting K(m). The expression of system ATB degrees (glutamine transporter) mRNA decreased in the ischemic and nutrient-deprived groups, suggesting that the down-regulation of glutamine transport is due to modification of expression of the ATB degrees gene. The transport of glutamate and leucine, DNA synthesis, and intracellular glutathione also decreased in the ischemic group. These findings throw some light on the mechanism of intestinal epithelial damage during ischemia.