Endotoxin, epinephrine, glucagon, insulin and calcium ionophore A23187 modulation of pyruvate kinase activity in cultured rat hepatocytes.

Altered glucose metabolism is one of the commonly observed sequelae of sepsis and septic shock. The present investigation was undertaken to determine the role of endotoxin (ET) upon hepatocyte glucoregulation, by measuring the activity of pyruvate kinase (PK), a key glycolytic enzyme. Hepatocytes were exposed to endotoxin concentrations known to occur in vivo during sepsis, i.e., from 1 X 10(-14) to 1 X 10(-8) g/ml. The alteration of the enzyme activities after addition of epinephrine, glucagon, insulin and calcium ionophore A23187 with and without ET preincubation were also examined. ET alone decreased the PK activity by 12% at all concentrations tested. The basal inhibition of the enzyme caused by epinephrine (-48%) was partially blocked by ET preincubation above 1 X 10(-10) g/ml. There were no ET-(glucagon, calcium ionophore, insulin) interaction. These in vitro results do not support pyruvate kinase as a site of hepatic enzyme regulation defect in endotoxaemia.