Accumulation of Pyruvate in Phenylhydrazine-Treated Avian Red Blood Cells

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Abstract
Loss in oxygen capacity which occurs when avian erythrocytes are treated in vitro with phenylhydrazine is completely or partially restored (depending on the initial concentration of phenylhydrazine) on incubation of the cells for 1 hour in the presence of glucose or lactate under anaerobic conditions. Restoration in oxygen capacity is always accompanied by a proportional accumulation of pyruvate (the proportion differs for each substrate) which bears the same relationship to the gain in oxygen capacity as that found for the metabolic reduction of methemoglobin by the avian erythrocyte. However under aerobic conditions pyruvate continued to accumulate after all measurable oxygen capacity restoration (methemoglobin reduction) ceased. This is taken as evidence that in the presence of oxygen either methemoglobin formation continues in the treated cell, after all phenylhydrazine is destroyed or washed out, or that some other ferric iron compound is reduced which will not augment oxygen capacity. At the higher concentrations of phenylhydrazine used not all the oxygen capacity initially lost is restored on incubation even under anaerobic conditions. This inactive molecule is thought to be verdoglobin.