Effects of increased cardiac work on pyruvate dehydrogenase activity in hearts from diabetic animals

The effects of increased cardiac work and availability of pyruvate on the activation of pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) was studied in hearts isolated from diabetic rats. Diabetes resulted in complete inactivation of myocardial PDH. At low levels of cardiac work, PDH in hearts perfused with glucose or glucose plus insulin as substrate remained in the inactive form even after 25 min of in vitro perfusion indicating that the factors causing inactivation in the diabetic animal were not easily reversed in vitro. Raising the level of ventricular pressure development from 60 to 180 mmHg caused only a small increase in the percent of active PDH (from 0.3 to 16%). Comparable values in control hearts were 61 and 96% active PDH. Addition of high levels of perfusate pyruvate along with glucose increased the percent active PDH from 0.3 to 45 at 60 mmHg ventricular pressure. Although pyruvate increased active PDH the effect was much less than in normal hearts (85% active under comparable conditions). Increased ventricular pressure development (180 mmHg) in diabetic hearts receiving pyruvate caused a further activation of PDH to 66% but again this effect was much less than occurred in normal hearts (96% active). Inactivation of PDH in hearts from diabetic animals could not be accounted for by high mitochondrial levels of known effectors such as NADH/NAD, acetyl CoA/CoA and ATP/ADP. Increasing cardiac work resulted in decreased mitochondrial levels of NADH, acetyl CoA and ATP, but these changes had little effect on PDH activity. The date indicate that PDH in hearts of diabetic animals is resistant to activation by increased cardiac work and high tissue levels of pyruvate.