Protection against endotoxin shock and impaired glucose homeostasis with ATP

ATP-Mg++ (10 mumoles/100 g, iv) increased the LD50 for Salmonella enteritidis lipopolysaccharide (endotoxin) in male Holtzman rats (300 +/- 10 g) from 1.3 to 6.0 mg/rat. While endotoxin at 3 mg/rat iv 5 hr previously induced hypoglycemia to 12 +/- 4 mg/dl, ATP cotreatment blunted the hypoglycemia; i.e., plasma glucose values were 78 +/- 6 mg/dl. ATP treatment prevented the depression in gluconeogenesis induced by endotoxin as evaluated in vivo by the conversion of 14C-alanine to 14C-glucose. ATP treatment also reduced the hypercatabolism of U-14 C-glucose to 14CO2 in vivo and by epididymal fat pads in vitro. A role for ATP in preventing disruption of glucose homeostasis and development of endotoxin shock via counteracting insulin is suggested.