Glucose and lactate kinetics and interrelations in an antarctic bird (emperor penguin)

The isotope single-injection method was used to investigate the glucose and lactate kinetics and the interrelationships between the glucose and lactate pools in fasting emperor penguins. In these remarkably fast-resistant birds, mean lactate concentration, replacement rate, pool, space, and transit time were 1.5 mmol.1-1,53 mumol.min-1.kg-1, 900 mumol.kg-1, 60% of body mass, and 17 min, respectively. Mean glucose concentration, replacement rate, pool, space, and transit time were 20 mmol.1-1, 23 mumol.min-1.kg-1, 4,300 mumol.kg-1, 24% of body mass, and 196 min, respectively. Maximum conversions of lactate into glucose and of glucose into lactate were 29 +/- 2.9% and 75.5 +/- 4.2%, respectively, which indicates that lactate is an effective gluconeogenic precursor and a major fate of glucose metabolism in fasting penguins. The lactate replacement rate and incorporation into glucose were related to the plasma lactate concentration, which suggests that the rate of formation of glucose from lactate is dependent on the availability of lactate. The glucose replacement rate and reduction into lactate were related with the plasma glucose concentration, suggesting that the rate of lactate formation from glucose is dependent on the plasma glucose concentration. These data suggest that in the fasting emperor penguin glucose and lactate availability is capable of regulating the rate at which these substrates are utilized and interconverted. To our knowledge, this is the first evidence for such regulatory capacities in birds.