Tumor host relations. IV. Tissue distribution of citric acid cycle intermediates and of glutamate in tumor-bearing rats high level of alpha-ketoglutarate in solid Yoshida sarcomas.

To elucidate the origin of increased concentrations of alpha-ketoglutarate (KG) in tumor bearers the tissue distribution of KG together with the related metabolites citrate, succinate, malate, and glutamate was determined in tumor, liver, gastrocnemius muscle, and blood of rats bearing the solid Yoshida sarcoma and of tumor-free rats. The sum of these metabolites was significantly increased in host liver and blood, respectively, compared with the corresponding tissues of normal rats. Among single metabolites glutamate and malate were significantly increased in host liver. The absolute concentrations were highest in host liver with the exception of KG, which was highest in the tumor. This was taken as indicative for the tumor as the prime source of increased KG in blood of tumor-bearers. No significant metabolic deviations were found in gastrocnemius muscle. The concentration of KG in this muscle of both normal and host animals correlated significantly with that of glutamate. In the tumor the concentration of KG correlated significantly with that of citrate plus succinate plus malate. This type of correlation was absent in liver and muscle of both normal and host animals. Moreover, no correlation existed between KG and glutamate either in liver or in tumor. It was suggested that the metabolic flux through the citric cycle determines the concentration of KG in the tumor.