Studies on the metabolism of murine leprosy bacilli. I. Stimulating effect of mitochondria extract of rat liver on the metabolism of bacilli.

Biochemical study on the metabolism of murine leprosy bacilli was first com menced by Hanks (1951). According to his report, the hydrogen transfer capacity of the bacilli was so feeble that only 0.8ƒÊmole of TTC (Triphenyl Tetrazolium Chloride) was reduced per mg nitrogen of the bacilli after 24 hours' incubation at 37•Ž. Soon after, Gray (1952) has found by manometric method that only 5 cmm of oxygen was consumed per mg nitrogen of the bacilli after 1 hour incubation at 37•Ž. It•¬ and Sonoda (1957 a) reported that asparagine and yeast extract stimulate the respiration of the bacilli, and also succinate stimulates it in the presence of liver or testicle extract of rats. Later, the same authors (1957 b) have concluded that aspartic-ƒ¿ ketoglutaric transaminase exists in the bacilli. On the other hand, Tame masa and Tsutsumi (1958) found that the bacilli reduced tetrazolium chloride under anaerobic condition in the presence of o-aminophenol, higher fatty acid such as lauric or myristic acid and indol or skatol. The author has entered the metabolic study of murine leprosy bacilli, bearing in mind that this bacilli might highly be dependent on the host. Reported in the following are the results demonstrating that the heated mitochondria extract of rat liver stimulates the endogeneous metabolism and D-glucose or succinate oxidation of the bacilli.