Abstract
During acute and chronic hypoxia in peripheral tissues, erythrocyte metabolism, especially, the changes of 2, 3-Diphosphoglycerate (2, 3-DPG) and various enzyme activities in glycolysis were studied. Various factors known to influence on the erythrocyte metabolism were studied in vivo and vitro, and the following results were obtained.
1) It might be suggested that the plasma from patients with chronic renal disease contained unknown factors which enhanced erythrocyte glycolysis and therefore increased 2, 3-DPG levels.
2) The rate of 2, 3-DPG synthesis of red blood cells from normal adults was not altered by addition of thyroxine, triiodothyronine, and the plasma from hyperthyroidism. So it might be said that thyroid hormone had not the direct action on 2, 3-DPG formation.
3) 2, 3-DPG levels of red blood cell from hyperthyroidisms were higher than those of normal subjects and correlated with their basal metabolic rates.
4) Through incubation of erythrocyte from normal adults in a low glucose medium containing 1.7mM glucose, 2, 3-DPG decreased gradually and significantly.
5) After acute bleeding, erythrocyte 2, 3-DPG values took a few days to reach to the maximum level.
6) It might be suggested that the plasma from patients and rabbits with chronic anemia contained the factors which caused the elevation of 2, 3-DPG levels.
Judging from these results, also taking them into consideration with other reports we have known up to now, it seems to us that 2, 3-DPG has three separate effects on erythrocyte metabolism; (a) direct effect, i. e., effect to change the rates of pH, glucose, and so forth.(b) secondary effect, i. e., metabolic change (c) erythropoiesis.
