| Abstract: | The hearts of many bivalve and gastropod molluscs are resistant to exposure to hypoxic and anoxic conditions. Glycogen and aspartate are simultaneously fermented leading to the accumulation of alanine, succinate and alanopine/strombine. Lactate is not a major end product of anaerobic metabolism in molluscan hearts. In contrast, vertebrate hearts respond to hypoxia by the fermentation of glycogen leading to lactate formation. There is some evidence for aspartate and glutamate breakdown in vertebrate hearts during anoxia. However, the quantitative contribution of this process to energy production is small. The differences in modes of energy production in molluscan and vertebrate hearts may reflect adaptations to long-term as opposed to short-term anoxia. |
