Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 5, 2026

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
14.1K
beta-Hydroxy fatty acid production by ischemic rabbit heart.
The Journal of Clinical Investigation
|February 1, 1982
Summary
During myocardial ischemia, beta-hydroxy fatty acids accumulate in rabbit heart tissue. These substrates are primarily found in the cytosol as beta-hydroxyacylcarnitine, suggesting limited oxidation.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Cardiology
- Metabolism
Background:
- Ischemia-induced cardiac dysfunction involves altered fatty acid metabolism.
- Beta-hydroxy fatty acids are potential markers and mediators of ischemic injury.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the production, accumulation, and subcellular localization of beta-hydroxy fatty acids in the ischemic rabbit heart.
- To determine the chemical forms and metabolic fate of these compounds during ischemia.
Main Methods:
- Isolated rabbit hearts were perfused using the Langendorff technique under ischemic conditions.
- Tissue fractionation (mitochondria and cytosol) and lipid fractionation were performed.
- Levels of beta-hydroxy fatty acids, acyl-CoA, and acylcarnitine were quantified.
Main Results:
- Beta-hydroxymyristate, -palmitate, and -stearate accumulated in the heart during 2-10 minutes of ischemia.
- These beta-hydroxy fatty acids were increasingly found in the cytosol over time.
- The majority accumulated as acylcarnitine, with significant amounts also as acyl-CoA and free fatty acids.
Conclusions:
- Myocardial beta-hydroxyacyl-CoA oxidation appears limited during ischemia.
- Accumulation of beta-hydroxy fatty acids, particularly as beta-hydroxyacylcarnitine in the cytosol, occurs during ischemic events.

