| Abstract: | The effect of ischemia on the formation of products of anaerobic metabolism and their release into the cardiac effluent in isolated perfused guinea pig hearts was studied. During 30 min normothermal ischemia, the myocardial ATP and phosphocreatine levels decreased to 34% and 15% of the initial values, respectively. The net alanine formation in ischemia was approximately a stoichiometric glutamate decrease; the increase in the tissue malate content corresponded to the aspartate----oxaloacetate----malate anaplerotic flux, the succinate production being commensurable to alpha-ketoglutaric acid formation in the alanine aminotransferase reaction. Using 1H-NMR, it was shown that the release of trace amounts of lactate, alanine, succinate, creatine and pyruvate into cardiac effluents occurred during the first 5 minutes of reperfusion. The rate of metabolite release decreased in the following order: lactate much greater than alanine greater than succinate greater than creatine. By the 30th minute of reperfusion, the decrease in the tissue levels of these metabolites to preischemic values was accompanied by the recovery of ATP and phosphocreatine to 65% and 90% of the initial levels, respectively. The data obtained suggest that the formation and release of alanine, creatine or succinate as well as lactate from ischemic myocardium may testify to significant disturbances in energy metabolism of the myocardium. |
