142 C. L. GEMMILL VOL. 4 (1950) 



Mercury Compounds: Gemmill and Hellerman*^ studied the effects of small 

 concentrations of phenylmercuric hydroxide, p-chloromercuric benzoic acid and mercuric 

 chloride on glycolysis in muscle extracts. These substances have the power to inhibit 

 glycolysis and the inhibition is abolished by the addition of cysteine. 



Iodine: In the same paper in which the action of the mercury compounds on gly- 

 colysis was described, Gemmill and Hellerman*i also demonstrated that small 

 amounts of iodine inhibited glycolysis. This effect was reversed by the addition of 

 cysteine. Lipmann*- had previously shown that iodine was an active inhibitor of gly- 

 colysis. Rapkine'*^ traced the action of oxidizing agents to the oxidoreduction between 

 phosphoglyceraldehyde and pyruvic acid. Lipmann** has pointed out that there are 

 five enzymes in the glycolytic system which may undergo oxidative inactivation and 

 reactivation with glutathione. 



Anesthetics: Watts*^, working in this laboratory, has shown that methadon and 

 nupercaine have the property of maintenance of glycolysis over and above the normal 

 velocity of this process in an activated homogenate of rat brain. During the first ten 

 minutes, there is no difference in the rate of glycolysis. However, after the first ten 

 minutes, the normal rate tends to decrease, while the mixture containing either of these 

 two drugs maintains the same rate of the original ten minute period. Using radioactives 

 phosphorous in the form of the phosphate ion, Pertzoff and Gemmill*^ have shown 

 that sodium barbital and ether have a retarding effect on the transfer of phosphate 

 from plasma into the red blood cell. 



SUMMARY 



Several examples of the action of chemical compounds of therapeutic interest on glycolysis 

 have been given in this short review. In most of these cases, the methods and results of Professor 

 Meverhof have been used as a background in this work. Many developments are possible from this 

 type of work, especially in the explanation of drug action and the control of disease through this 

 knowledge. Therefore, pharmacology owes much to the pioneer investigations of Professor Meyerhof. 



RfiSUxMfi 



Dans cette brfeve revue nous avons donn^ plusieurs exemples de Taction sur la glycolyse de 

 certains composes chimiques d'interet pharmaceutique. Dans la plupart des cas les m^thodes et les 

 resultats du Professeur Meyerhof ont forme le point de depart de ce travail. Ce genre de travail 

 pent donner lieu a des developpements nombreux, surtout pour expliquer Taction des drogues et, 

 par ce fait, pour enrayer la maladie. C'est pourquoi la pharmacologic doit beaucoup aux investiga- 

 tions de pionnier du Professeur Meyerhof. 



ZUSAMMENFASSUNG 



In dieser kurzen tJbcrsicht wurden einige Beispiele fiir die Wirkung chemischer Verbindungen 

 von therapeutischem Interesse auf die Glykolyse gegeben. In den meisten Fallen bildeten die Metho- 

 den und die Ergebnisse von Professor Meyerhof den Hintergrund dieser Arbeit. Vielerlei Entwick- 

 lungen dieser Arbeit sind moglich, insbesondere zur Erklarung der Wirkung der Arzneiraittel und 

 dadurch zur Eindammung der Krankhciten. Deshalb hat die Pharmakologie den Pioniersunter- 

 suchungen von Professor Meyerhof viel zu verdanken. 



REFERENCES 



^ D. E. Green, Advances in Enzymol., i (1947) 177. 



- F. Bernheim, The Interaction of Drugs and Cell Catalysts, Burgess Publ. Co., 1942. 



