Glycogen synthesis from lactate in skeletal muscle of the lizard Dipsosaurus dorsalis

The capacity of skeletal muscle to synthesize glycogen from lactate was tested in the iliofibularis muscle of the desert iguana, Dipsosaurus dorsalis. Like other reptiles, Dipsosaurus accumulates significant lactic acid concentrations following vigorous exercise. After 5 min of progressively faster treadmill running at 35 degrees C (final speed = 2.2 km/h), blood lactate concentration increased over 14 mM, which decreased 11 mM after 2 h of recovery. Blood glucose concentration remained unchanged throughout at 8.6 +/- 0.46 mM. The role that muscle gluconeogenesis might play in the removal of post-exercise lactate was evaluated. Animals were run to exhaustion at 1.5 km/h on a treadmill thermostatted at 35 degrees C. Animals (n = 43) ran 6.9 +/- 0.75 min prior to exhaustion. Animals were sacrificed and iliofibularis muscles of both hindlimbs removed and stimulated at 2 Hz for 5 min, reducing twitch tension to 6% of prestimulus tension. Fatigued muscles were then split into red and white fiber bundles and incubated 2 h or 5 h at 35 degrees C in Ringer solution or in Ringer plus 20 mM lactate. In muscles tested in August, red fiber bundles incubated in lactate demonstrated a rate of glycogen synthesis of approximately 1 mg/(g muscle . h). In muscles tested in December, red fiber bundles synthesized glycogen at a reduced rate that was not statistically different than in fiber bundles incubated in Ringer solution without lactate. Glycogen synthesis from lactate was not evident in white fiber bundles in either August or December. The period of peak gluconeogenic capacity coincides with the field active season of Dipsosaurus.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)