Pyruvic and oxaloacetic cyanohydrins

A cyanosulfidic origin of the Krebs cycle

The centrality of the Krebs cycle in metabolism has long been interpreted as evidence of its antiquity, and consequently, questions regarding its provenance, and whether it initially functioned as a cycle or not, have received much attention. The present report shows that prebiotic oxidation of α-hydroxy carboxylates can be achieved by UV photolysis of a simple geochemical species (HS^-), which leads to α-oxo carboxylates that feature in the Krebs cycle and glyoxylate shunt. Further reaction of these products leads to almost all intermediates of the Krebs cycle proper, succinate semialdehyde bypass, and glyoxylate shunt. Fumarate, the missing Krebs cycle component, and the required α-hydroxy carboxylates can be provided by a highly related hydrogen cyanide chemistry, which also provides precursors for amino acids, nucleotides, and phospholipids.

Mitochondria are physiologically maintained at close to 50 °C

In endothermic species, heat released as a product of metabolism ensures stable internal temperature throughout the organism, despite varying environmental conditions. Mitochondria are major actors in this thermogenic process. Part of the energy released by the oxidation of respiratory substrates drives ATP synthesis and metabolite transport, but a substantial proportion is released as heat. Using a temperature-sensitive fluorescent probe targeted to mitochondria, we measured mitochondrial temperature in situ under different physiological conditions. At a constant external temperature of 38 °C, mitochondria were more than 10 °C warmer when the respiratory chain (RC) was fully functional, both in human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells and primary skin fibroblasts. This differential was abolished in cells depleted of mitochondrial DNA or treated with respiratory inhibitors but preserved or enhanced by expressing thermogenic enzymes, such as the alternative oxidase or the uncoupling protein 1. The activity of various RC enzymes was maximal at or slightly above 50 °C. In view of their potential consequences, these observations need to be further validated and explored by independent methods. Our study prompts a critical re-examination of the literature on mitochondria.

To ensure a stable internal temperature, endothermic species make use of the heat released during the final steps of food burning by the mitochondria present in all cells of the organism. Indeed, only a fraction of the energy released by the oxidation of respiratory substrates is used to generate ATP, while a substantial proportion is released as heat. Using a temperature-sensitive fluorescent probe targeted to mitochondria, we measured the temperature of active mitochondria in cultured intact human cells. Mitochondria were found to be more than 10 °C warmer when the respiratory chain was functional. This differential was abolished in cells depleted of mitochondrial DNA or by respiratory inhibitors but preserved or enhanced by the expression of thermogenic enzymes such as Ciona alternative oxidase or by uncoupling protein 1. The activity of various respiratory chain enzymes was found to be maximal near 50 °C. Note that in view of their potential consequences, the observations reported here need to be validated and explored further by independent methods.

Accumulation of alpha-keto acids as essential components in cyanide assimilation by Pseudomonas fluorescens NCIMB 11764

Pyruvate (Pyr) and alpha-ketoglutarate (alphaKg) accumulated when cells of Pseudomonas fluorescens NCIMB 11764 were cultivated on growth-limiting amounts of ammonia or cyanide and were shown to be responsible for the nonenzymatic removal of cyanide from culture fluids as previously reported (J.-L. Chen and D. A. Kunz, FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 156:61-67, 1997). The accumulation of keto acids in the medium paralleled the increase in cyanide-removing activity, with maximal activity (760 micromol of cyanide removed min-1 ml of culture fluid-1) being recovered after 72 h of cultivation, at which time the keto acid concentration was 23 mM. The reaction products that formed between the biologically formed keto acids and cyanide were unambiguously identified as the corresponding cyanohydrins by 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Both the Pyr and alpha-Kg cyanohydrins were further metabolized by cell extracts and served also as nitrogenous growth substrates. Radiotracer experiments showed that CO2 (and NH3) were formed as enzymatic conversion products, with the keto acid being regenerated as a coproduct. Evidence that the enzyme responsible for cyanohydrin conversion is cyanide oxygenase, which was shown previously to be required for cyanide utilization, is based on results showing that (i) conversion occurred only when extracts were induced for the enzyme, (ii) conversion was oxygen and reduced-pyridine nucleotide dependent, and (iii) a mutant strain defective in the enzyme was unable to grow when it was provided with the cyanohydrins as a growth substrate. Pyr and alphaKg were further shown to protect cells from cyanide poisoning, and excretion of the two was directly linked to utilization of cyanide as a growth substrate. The results provide the basis for a new mechanism of cyanide detoxification and assimilation in which keto acids play an essential role.

Antidotal efficacy of alpha-ketoglutaric acid and sodium thiosulfate in cyanide poisoning

Alpha-ketoglutaric acid and sodium thiosulfate antagonize the toxic effects of cyanide. The present study was performed to test whether a synergistic effect may occur. The alpha-ketoglutaric acid/sodium thiosulfate solutions were injected intraperitoneally into mice prior to exposure to hydrogen cyanide (HCN) in a dynamic inhalation chamber or preceding an intraperitoneal injection of sodium cyanide (NaCN). All lethal concentration (LCT) and lethal dose (LD) values were determined after a period of 24 h. Alpha-ketoglutaric acid alone provided no protection at 250 mg/kg when challenged with HCN. Sodium thiosulfate 500 mg/kg provided a 5% protection. However, when these doses of alpha-ketoglutaric acid and sodium thiosulfate were combined, protection was increased by 18%. Alpha-ketoglutaric acid (250 mg/kg) and sodium thiosulfate (1000 mg/kg) provided an additional 48% protection against a LCT88 of HCN. A single dose of alpha-ketoglutaric acid (500 mg/kg) and sodium thiosulfate (1000 mg/kg) solutions afforded a 70% increase in survivability of the exposed animals. When mice were injected ip with 100 mg/kg of alpha-ketoglutaric acid 15 min prior to the injection of 5.5 mg/kg (LD50) of NaCN, the lethality was reduced to an LD30. Two hundred mg/kg alpha-ketoglutaric acid, challenged with the same dose of NaCN, reduced the lethality to 23%. When mice were challenged with 6.0 mg/kg of NaCN (LD70) pretreated with 100 mg/kg of alpha-ketoglutaric acid or 200 mg/kg of sodium thiosulfate, the LD was not altered in the former but reduced to an LD15 in the latter. At higher doses of sodium thiosulfate (500 mg/kg), an LD60 occurred at 13.6 mg/kg NaCN (2.5 x LD50).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Mechanism of antagonizing cyanide-induced lethality by alpha-ketoglutaric acid

alpha-Ketoglutaric acid (alpha-KG) has been shown to be an effective antagonist for cyanide-induced lethality. The mechanism of this antagonism is hypothesized to result from alpha-KG binding with cyanide. Several investigative approaches were taken to determine the existence of this binding. First, mixtures of various molar ratios of alpha-KG:cyanide were injected into a high pressure liquid chromatograph. The addition of cyanide reduced the peak area of alpha-KG at a molar ratio of greater than 1:5. Second, blood from naive male ICR mice was spiked with alpha-KG and cyanide. Headspace above these blood samples was injected into a gas chromatograph and analyzed for released hydrogen cyanide. alpha-KG reduced the peak area of hydrogen cyanide released into the headspace at molar ratios of greater than 1:2.5. Third, the effect of cyanide on the ultraviolet spectrum of alpha-KG was determined as an indication of binding. In the presence of cyanide the absorption peak at 316 nm for alpha-KG was eliminated. Inhibition of cytochrome oxidase is an accepted target enzyme for cyanide-induced lethality. Fourth, further evidence of alpha-KG's mechanism was determined by the effect of alpha-KG on brain cytochrome oxidase (BRCYTOX) and its ability to antagonize cyanide-induced inhibition of BRCYTOX. BRCYTOX activity was determined in the presence of alpha-KG and was found to be unaffected between 0.01 and 0.06 M of alpha-KG. Greater concentrations of alpha-KG inhibited BRCYTOX activity. The complete inhibition of BRCYTOX activity by 10(-5) M cyanide was prevented with 0.05 and 0.06 M alpha-KG. Fifth, BRCYTOX activity of animals pretreated with saline and then an LD80 dose (8.5 mg/kg) of cyanide was 80% inhibited, while BRCYTOX activity of animals pretreated with 2 g alpha-KG/kg, i.p., and then an LD80 dose (7.75 mg/kg) of cyanide was not different from control values. Thus, these data suggest that alpha-KG does bind with cyanide, and this binding can account for the antagonism of cyanide-induced lethality.

Protection against cyanide-induced convulsions with alpha-ketoglutarate

Protection against convulsions induced by cyanide was observed after treatment with alpha-ketoglutarate, either alone or in combination with sodium thiosulfate, a classical antagonist for cyanide intoxication. However, sodium thiosulfate alone did not protect against cyanide (30 mg/kg)-induced convulsions. gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) levels in brain were decreased by 31% in KCN-treated mice exhibiting convulsions. The combined administration of alpha-ketoglutarate and sodium thiosulfate completely abolished the decrease of GABA levels induced by cyanide. Furthermore, sodium thiosulfate alone also completely abolished the decrease of GABA levels. These results suggest that the depletion of brain GABA levels may not directly contribute to the development of convulsions induced by cyanide. On the other hand, cyanide increased calcium levels by 32% in brain crude mitochondrial fractions in mice with convulsions. The increased calcium levels were completely abolished by the combined administration of alpha-ketoglutarate and sodium thiosulfate, but not affected by sodium thiosulfate alone. These findings support the hypothesis proposed by Johnson et al. (Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol., 84 (1986) 464) and Robinson et al. (Toxicology, 35 (1985) 59) that calcium may play an important role in mediating cyanide neurotoxicity.

The efficacy of alpha-ketoglutaric acid in the antagonism of cyanide intoxication

It has been reported that compounds containing carbonyl groups can readily react with cyanide. Pyruvic acid, an alpha-ketocarboxylic acid, has been shown to antagonize the lethal effects of cyanide. It is suggested that its mechanism of action rests in its ability to react with or "bind" cyanide. In this study, alpha-ketoglutaric acid, also an alpha-ketocarboxylic acid, was evaluated for its ability to counteract the lethal effects of cyanide. alpha-Ketoglutaric acid increased the LD50 value of cyanide (6.7 mg/kg) by a factor of five, a value statistically equivalent to that ascertained in mice pretreated with sodium thiosulfate and sodium nitrite. The combination of alpha-ketoglutaric acid and sodium thiosulfate increased the LD50 value of cyanide to 101 mg/kg. Addition of sodium nitrite to the alpha-ketoglutaric acid/sodium thiosulfate regimen increased the LD50 value of cyanide to 119 mg/kg. Unlike sodium nitrite, no induction of methemoglobin formation was observed with alpha-ketoglutaric acid pretreatment. It is apparent from these studies that the administration of alpha-ketoglutaric acid in conjunction with sodium thiosulfate resulted in fewer animal deaths than sodium nitrite and sodium thiosulfate without the dangerous formation of methemoglobin.