Hexokinase and Adenylate Kinase Activities in Aorta, Heart Muscle and Skeletal Muscle from Uraemic Rats

The effect of parathyroidectomy and/or vitamin D on the development of arterial and myocardial lesions was studied in rats with moderate uraemia. The activities of hexokinase and adenylate kinase in the aorta, myocardium and skeletal muscle were measured and the incidence of aortic calcification and muscle cell necrosis determined. There was a decreased hexokinase activity in the aorta, myocardium and skeletal muscle from uraemic rats. Adenylate kinase showed an increased activity in the same tissues. Parathyroidectomy as well as I-alpha-hydroxycholecalciferol in a dose of 3 ng/100 g b.w. normalized these activities to a great extent. This effect did not occur when 10 ng/100 g b.w. was given. Parathyroidectomy in combination with a low dose of I-alpha-OH-D3 reduced the incidence of myocardial necrosis. Aortic calcifications were found in uraemic animals given 10 ng/100 g b.w. of I-alpha-hydroxycholecalciferol. In this group increased activity of adenylate kinase was found in calcified aortae but not in non-calcified aortae. The study shows that uraemia causes metabolic changes in the aorta, myocardium, and skeletal muscle which may partly be prevented by parathyroidectomy and by low doses of vitamin D. It also indicates some parallelism between these metabolic changes and the development of histologically demonstrable lesions in the aorta.