Skeletal muscle lactate release and glycolytic intermediates during hypercapnia

The effects of respiratory acidosis on glycolysis in the autoperfused canine gastrocnemius-plantaris were studied using anesthetized dogs that were ventilated either with air (n = 30) or with 4% CO2-21% O2-75% N2 (n = 30). The left muscle group was stimulated at 3 Hz for up to 20 min, after which the active and the contralateral resting muscles were removed and frozen in liquid N2. Blood flow, VO2, Vco2, and tension development were unaffected by CO2. Glycogen catabolism was not affected, but lactate release (La) was lower (P less than 0.05) during activity with CO2; and greater fructose 6-phosphate, fructose 6-phosphate/fructose 1,6-diphosphate, and alpha-glycerophosphate/dihydroxyacetone phosphate ratios resulted (P less than 0.05). With respiratory acidosis, muscle lactate tended to accumulate early in contractions, but a net lactate uptake occurred during the last 10 min of contractions. Thus, respiratory acidosis reduced lactate efflux and there was a net uptake late in the contraction period. Glycogen phosphorylase did not appear to be affected by the respiratory acidosis, but there was evidence of inhibition at the phosphofructokinase step as well as a tendency for lactate to accumulate within the muscle. La often occurred in a direction contrary to the muscle-venous lactate concentration difference with either air or CO2 and La also decreased far more rapidly over time than did the arterial-venous H+.