Reducing lactate accumulation does not attenuate lethal ischemic injury in isolated perfused rat hearts. Vander, Richard S., Heide, John A. Delyani, Robert B. Jennings, Keith A. Reimer, Charles Steenbergen. Department of Pathology, Duke Univeristy Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710,
APStracts 2:0312H, 1995.
The role of lactate accumulation in lethal ischemic myocardial cell injury was assessed by partially depleting hearts of glycogen prior to ischemia using glucagon. Isolated adult rat hearts were perfused with glucose-free Krebs Henseleit buffer containing acetate as substrate. Following stabilization, treated hearts were perfused briefly (3 minutes) with buffer containing 2 [mu]g/ml glucagon to reduce tissue glycogen stores, followed by 10 minutes of perfusion with control buffer, and 60 or 90 minutes of global ischemia. Before the onset of ischemia, glucagon-treated hearts contained 40% less glycogen than untreated hearts but myocardial function and tissue levels of high energy phosphates, lactate, and glucose-6-phosphate were similar. Lactate production during ischemia in the glucagon -treated hearts was 50% less than in untreated hearts. However, there was no decrease in the amount of creatine kinase release during reperfusion after either 60 or 90 minutes of ischemia. Thus, although partial glycogen depletion reduced lactate accumulation during ischemia, this did not decrease the amount of lethal myocardial cell injury.

Received 17 March 1995; accepted in final form 22 June 1995.
APS Manuscript Number H261-5.
Article publication pending Am. J. Physiol. (Heart Circ. Physiology).
ISSN 1080-4757 Copyright 1995 The American Physiological Society.
Published in APStracts on 30 July 1995.