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Methods for the Determination of Rates of Glucose and Fatty Acid Oxidation in the Isolated Working Rat Heart
12:24

Methods for the Determination of Rates of Glucose and Fatty Acid Oxidation in the Isolated Working Rat Heart

Published on: September 28, 2016

Glycolysis and pyruvate oxidation in cardiac hypertrophy--why so unbalanced?

H S Leong1, R W Brownsey, J E Kulpa

  • 1McDonald Research Laboratories/The iCAPTUR4E Centre, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, St. Paul's Hospital, 1081 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6Z 1Y6.

Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology. Part A, Molecular & Integrative Physiology
|August 2, 2003
PubMed

Insights

Cardiac hypertrophy alters heart energy metabolism, uncoupling glucose use and production. Impaired pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) function is not the sole cause, suggesting other metabolic pathways are involved.

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Cardiology
  • Metabolic research

Background:

  • Cardiac hypertrophy involves abnormal heart energy metabolism and structural changes.
  • Increased glycolysis and glucose utilization occur, but pyruvate oxidation doesn't match pyruvate production.
  • This leads to uncoupled glycolysis and glucose oxidation in hypertrophied hearts.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To test the hypothesis that pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) function is impaired in cardiac hypertrophy.
  • To investigate the mechanisms behind altered pyruvate metabolism in hypertrophied hearts.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing evidence on cardiac hypertrophy and glucose metabolism.
  • Analysis of the role of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) in controlling glucose oxidation.
  • Discussion of potential alternative mechanisms affecting pyruvate metabolism.

Main Results:

  • Alterations in glucose metabolism in cardiac hypertrophy are not solely explained by changes in PDC expression or control.
  • Evidence suggests that altered pyruvate metabolism involves more than just PDC function.

Conclusions:

  • The uncoupling of glycolysis and glucose oxidation in cardiac hypertrophy is complex.
  • Additional factors, including pyruvate transport, NADH shuttles, lactate dehydrogenase, and amino acid metabolism, may contribute to altered pyruvate metabolism.

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