On the production of glycerol and l-alanine during the aerobic fermentation of glucose by trypanosomatids

Abstract Glucose consumption and catabolite production by thick suspensions of Trypanosoma cruzi, Leishmania mexicana and Crithidia fasciculata were similar under aerobic and anaerobic conditions, indicating lack of Pasteur effect. Succinate was the main product for L. mexicana and C. fasciculata ; the latter also produced similar amounts of ethanol. T. cruzi produced succinate and l -alanine to a similar extent. l -Alanine was also a major product of L. mexicana , but was neither produced, nor consumed, by C. fasciculata . Small amounts of glycerol were produced by L. mexicana and C. fasciculata , but not by T. cruzi , which had no detectable NAD-dependent sn -glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase activity.