Effects of Lead and a Low-Molecular-Weight Endogenous Plasma Inhibitor on the Kinetics of Sodium—Potassium-Activated Adenosine Triphosphatase and Potassium-Activated p-Nitrophenylphosphatase

Abstract

1. Lead, ouabain and an endogenous plasma inhibitor were all found to be potent inhibitors of purified hog cerebral cortex sodium—potassium-activated adenosine triphosphatase and potassium-stimulated p-nitrophenylphosphatase. 2. The kinetic characteristics of inhibition of both enzymes by lead and the endogenous plasma inhibitor differed in several respects. For sodium—potassium-activated adenosine triphosphatase, lead and the endogenous plasma inhibitor were non-competitive inhibitors with respect to potassium; lead was competitive with respect to sodium, whereas the endogenous plasma inhibitor had no effect; lead was competitive with respect to magnesium adenosine triphosphate, whereas the endogenous plasma inhibitor was uncompetitive. For potassium-activated p-nitrophenylphosphatase, both lead and the endogenous plasma inhibitor were competitive with respect to potassium; lead showed a mixed type of inhibition with respect to p-nitrophenylphosphate, whereas the endogenous plasma inhibitor was non-competitive. 3. Lead and the endogenous plasma inhibitor exhibited synergistic inhibitory activity on sodium—potassium-activated adenosine triphosphatase. 4. These results suggest that lead could play a contributory role in the pathogenesis of essential hypertension via an additive inhibition of vascular smooth muscle sodium—potassium-activated adenosine triphosphatase.