Renal Ammonia Production in the Presence of Citric Acid Cycle Blockade 1

Abstract

Summary

The addition of 1.0 mM fluorocitrate to kidney slices markedly inhibited gluconeogenesis from citrate, while 10.0 mM malonate did the same to gluconeogenesis from glutamate. Both inhibitors increased ammonia production from glutamate by kidney slices. Injections of malonate and fluorocitrate into rats increased ammonia excretion in vivo despite no significant change in urine volume or pH. Therefore, both in vivo and in vitro, a slow down in citric acid cycle activity by two agents blocking at different points in the cycle resulted in augmented renal ammoniagenesis.