[Formation of ammonia from glutamic acid and ADP in purified mitochondria and nerve endings of rat cerebral cortex]

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to elucidate the formation of ammonium and its quantitative interrelationship in mitochondrial and synaptosomal fractions obtained from rat cerebral cortex. The data obtained have shown that in mitochondrial fraction the level of ammonium is high while its endogenous formation is less pronounced. A large amount of ammonium is formed from ADP and some from glutamic acid, especially in the presence of ADP. The level of ammonium is, on the contrary, low in the synaptosomal fraction and endogenous ammonium formation is high. In this fraction also there is ammonium formation from both ADP and GA but to a smaller extent than in the mitochondrial fraction. The data obtained make up conclude that the formation of ammonium by the glutamatedehydrogenase pathway in the presence of activators is an important mechanism in mitochondria but not synaptosomes.