Effect of glucose and galactose loading in normal subjects on red and white blood cell uridine diphosphate sugars

In order to test the assumption that red blood cell (RBC) uridine diphosphate galactose content is regulated in part by dietary galactose and to help comprehend factors influencing RBC and white blood cell (WBC) uridine diphosphate hexose concentrations in vivo, oral loading studies were performed with 50 g of galactose or 75 g of glucose in normal adults. While elevations of blood glucose did not influence RBC or WBC UDPhexose levels, increased blood galactose concentrations caused transient increases in both RBC and WBC UDPgalactose. In both RBC and WBC, the UDPgalactose-4-epimerase was rate limiting. In comparison to RBC, WBC had larger changes in UDPgalactose levels, synthesized additional UDPglucose through the action of UDPglucose pyrophosphorylase and began to restore the equilibrium ratio between UDPglucose and UDPgalactose concentrations while the plasma galactose level was still increasing. Thus, galactose ingestion alters the steady-state levels of UDPhexoses in circulating cells. The modulation of UDPglucose and UDPgalactose concentrations, occurring after the presentation of galactose to cells, as a result of the combined actions of GALT and UDPgalactose-4-epimerase, may be important in determining rates of synthesis of complex glycoconjugates.