Energy metabolism during hypoxia in the isolated, perfused ventricle of the whelk,Busycon contrarium conrad

Summary Energy metabolism and endogenous contractile activity during hypoxia were investigated in the isolated, perfused ventricle of the whelk,Busycon contrarium Conrad. Perfusion under hypoxic conditions for 2 h resulted in only small changes in contractile amplitude, but further perfusion resulted in variable responses ranging from no change to near cessation of contractile activity. The adenylate energy charge decreased only slightly after four hours of hypoxia. Contractile activity during hypoxia appears to be sustained by utilization of arginine phosphate and an activation of anaerobic energy metabolism. Alanine, succinate and octopine accumulated during hypoxia. Since aspartate levels decreased to one-third of the aerobic level while glutamate levels remained unchanged, it appears that aspartate provides the amino group in alanine formation. The results of the present study onB. contrarium ventricle support the hypothesis that glycogen and aspartate are simultaneously mobilized during the early phases of hypoxia and anoxia in this species.Abbreviations ADH alanopine dehydrogenase - G3PDH glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase - LDH lactate dehydrogenase - ODH octopine dehydrogenase - PEPCK phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase - PFK phosphofructokinase - PK pyruvate kinase Portions of this study were reported in brief in the form of an abstract which appeared in The Physiologist 23:40 (1980)