Abstract
Effects of hemoglobin derivatives in the subarachnoid space on the cerebral cells were studied. Cultured cells were used for a model of subarachnoid hemorrhage excluding any effects of circulation, respiration, or intracranial pressure. The brain was taken from chick embryos from 12 to 14 days after conception; it was cultured using single layer methods for 7-14 days. After bilirubin was added to the cultured medium, the macrophages turned brown in 1 hour. Bilirubin contracted the processes of the cultured cells over 0.85×10-4 mol. The cultured cells showed vacuole degeneration 24 hours after the administration of bilirubin. The enzymes relating to glycolysis were stained by tetrazolium methods. Lactate dehydrogenase increased its activity under the influence of bilirubin. The activities of succinate dehydrogenase, reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide diaphorase, and cytochrome were decreased by bilirubin. Glucose utilization and production of lactate and pyruvate increased, while oxygen consumption and production of carbon dioxide decreased. The pH of the medium changed little for 8 hours. When the pH of the cultured medium was less than 7.4, glycolysis was greatly impaired by bilirubin. Albumin prevents the impairment of glycolysis by bilirubin.
Bilirubin, a derivative of hemoglobin, promotes the Embden-Meyerhof pathway and anaerobic glycolysis, while it inhibits tricarboxylic acid cycle and aerobic glycolysis of cerebral cells.
