Effect of maturation on hepatic adenosine triphosphate

Abstract

Inasmuch as there are no quantitative data as to adenosine triphosphate (ATP) concentration in fetal and neonatal liver, a method for estimating the nucleotide in developing animals was devised and validated and the results obtained are reported here. The hepatic ATP levels, means ± sd, of fetal, one-day-old, nonpregnant adult, and pregnant guinea pigs were, respectively, 19.25 ± 3.36, 24.67 ± 3.90, 23.83 ± 2.98, and 26.12 ± 4.05 µmoles/g liver protein. In comparable groups of rats, which mature less rapidly, the values for ATP were 28.40 ± 3.24, 30.24 ± 2.72, 23.34 ± 2.17, and 22.62 ± 3.24 µmoles/g liver protein. It is concluded that 1) hepatic ATP concentration is specific for a species and does not appear to correlate primarily with its maturity, and 2) the levels of ATP in fetal and neonatal guinea pigs and rats are sufficiently similar to those in adult animals as not to be likely rate-limiting factors for hepatic ATP-dependent metabolic processes.