SIMULTANEOUS UTILIZATION OF CARBOHYDRATES AND AMINO-ACIDS DURING TOTAL ISCHEMIA IN THE ISOLATED RAT-HEART

  • 1 January 1980
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 76  (8) , 893-898
Abstract
The simultaneous utilization of carbohydrates and amino acids in the metabolic response to O2 deprivation was studied in the isolated rat heart initally perfused according to Langendorff and submitted to periods of 2, 5, 10 and 15 min of complete ischemia. Measurements of metabolite contents showed an immediate decrease of glycogen, pyruvate, .alpha.-ketoglutarate and aspartate; a delayed decrease of citrate and glutamate; an immediate and continuous increase of lactate and succinate; a delayed increase of alanine; and a transient increase of malate + fumarate. The end products of anaerobic metabolism are lactate, which is an index of glycolytic activity, and alanine and succinate, which are indexes of amino acid fermentation. Succinate originates from aspartate and alanine originates from glutamate. The amino acid pathway does not seem important in the production of ATP compared to glycolysis; its eventual role and the physiological implication of these reactions in the resistance of strict aerobic organisms to O2 deprivation are discussed.