Penetration of sugars, steroids, amino acids, and other organic compounds into the interior of the squid giant axon

Abstract

Squid axons were exposed to solutions of C(14)-labeled compounds. After 60 minutes the axoplasm was extruded and assayed for radioactivity. The following compounds penetrated to about 3 per cent of what would have been expected had there been no barrier to free diffusion and the subsequent attainment of equivalent distribution: mannitol, sucrose, glutamate, glutamine, aspartate, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylethylamine, lambda-aminobutyrate, serotonin, and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate. All these compounds are water-soluble; in addition, some are ionized over the entire pH range. Partially ionized indoleacetate, acetylsalicylate, and 5,5-diphenylhydantoin penetrated about 40 per cent and unionized, water-insoluble cortisol and dieldrin, 100 per cent. A striking exception to this grouping was glucose, which penetrated about 20 per cent. Studies with specifically labeled glucose indicate participation of the pentose phosphate pathway as a metabolic route in axonal membrane and associated cell wall material, and partial or complete absence of the oxidative system in the axoplasm. Except for glucose, penetration of the substances studied appears to depend largely on the extent of the non-polar, lipophilic character of the compound. Penetration can be markedly increased by pretreatment of the axons with cottonmouth moccasin venom.