GLUCOSE METABOLISM IN HUMAN ERYTHROCYTES FROM NORMAL AND FAVA BEAN-SENSITIVE SUBJECTS*

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Abstract
Washed red blood cells from normal and fava-bean sensitive Sardinian subjects were incubated in a pH 7.4 buffered saline medium in the presence of glucose (final external concentration generally about 0.02 [image]) for periods of time ranging from 10 minutes to 6 hours. After centrifuging and washing, glucose, glucose-6-phosphate, fructose-6-phosphate, fructose-1,6-diphosphate, triose phosphate, pentose phosphate, nucleotide pentose, pyruvate and lactate were determined chemically in the cells, and glucose, pyruvate and lactate on the supernatant fluid. These compounds account for the whole of the carbon initially added as glucose in the absence of methylene blue if this is added, a "loss" due to CO2 evolution takes place in normal cells only. This and other differences in the metabolite pattern are discussed in relation to the behavior of enzyme activities in favic cells and to the mechanism of action of methylene blue. The intracellular free glucose concentration throughout incubation has always been found to be unexpectedly higher in favic cells than in normal ones, in spite of lower glucose uptake.