Impaired Activation of Glucose Oxidation and NADPH Supply in Human Endothelial Cells Exposed to H₂O₂ in High-Glucose Medium

The effects of glucose concentration on D-glucose oxidation and reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) supply were studied during exposure of cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells to hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). The activation of glucose oxidation via the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP), induced by exposure of cells to 200 μmol/l H₂O₂ for 1 h, was reduced by 50% (P < 0.01) in cells cultured for 5–7 days in 33 mmol/l D-glucose (HG) versus those cultured in 5.5 mmol/l D-glucose without (NG) or with (HR) 27.5 mmol/l D-raffinose. The intracellular NADPH content in HG cells, but not in NG or HR cells, was decreased by 42% (P < 0.01) by exposing cells to 200 μmol/l H₂O₂. The decrease in NADPH was dependent on D-glucose concentration in the medium and was prevented in glutathione (GSH)-depleted cells. The latter observation suggests that the decrease in NADPH is associated with activation of the GSH redox cycle. In the presence of 200 μmol/l H₂O₂, lactate release into the medium, NADH/NAD ratio, and phosphofructokinase activity in HG cells were 56, 53, and 68% greater, respectively, than in the NG group, which indicates that inhibition of glycolysis by H₂O₂ is less marked in the HG group compared with NG group. These results indicate that activation of the PPP was impaired in endothelial cells cultured under conditions of high-glucose and oxidative stress, resulting in a decreased supply of NADPH to various NADPH-dependent pathways, including the GSH redox cycle.