Effects of taxol on isolated rat hepatocyte metabolism . Manzano, Anna, Teresa Roig, Jordi Berm[acute]udez, and Ramon Bartrons. Unitat de Bioqu[acute]imica. Unitat de Biof[acute]isica. Campus de Bellvitge, Universitat de Barcelona, E-08907 L'Hospitalet de Llobregat
APStracts 3:0236C, 1996.
Taxol is a natural product, isolated from Taxus brevifolia, with increasing clinical applications because of its potent antitumor activity. Although it is mainly metabolized in the liver, its effect on hepatocyte metabolism has been scarcely investigated. In this study the response of isolated rat hepatocytes to taxol was evaluated by correlating the changes observed in global indexes such as viability and heat dissipation with those produced in oxygen consumption and intracellular metabolites (ATP, fructose-2,6 -bisphosphate and lactate). The results indicate that taxol reduces aerobic metabolism, which induces an insufficient increase of the ATP via anaerobic glycolysis. Moreover, incubations of isolated mitochondria with taxol indicate that the respiratory chain is directly affected by this drug.

Received 21 February 1996; accepted in final form 10 July 1996.
APS Manuscript Number C92-6.
Article publication pending Am. J. Physiol. (Cell Physiology).
ISSN 1080-4757 Copyright 1996 The American Physiological Society.
Published in APStracts on 25 July 1996