Acute cardiac ischemia and reperfusion: contractility, relaxation, and glycolysis

The mechanical and metabolic effects of 3 min of complete global ischemia and 25 min of reperfusion were studied in the isolated rat heart. The decrease in contracile function was biphasic; a rapid 50% decline occurred in the first 10 s of ischemia, after which contractile function transiently stabilized and then fell at a slower rate. During reperfusion, recovery of relaxation was impaired relative to recovery of contractile function. A second period of ischemia and reflow produced changes in contractility, relaxation, and lactate production virtually identical to the initial one. In the absence of glycolytic blockade, tissue lactate accumulation developed, no contracture occurred, the pacing threshold did not increase, and reperfusion after 3 min of ischemia resulted in complete recovery of contractile function. Glycolytic blockade with 0.1 mM iodoacetate (IAA) prevented ischemic lactate production, accelerated the fall in contractility, caused irreversible contracture after 30 s of ischemia, an irreversible increase in pacing threshold within 3 min of ischemia, and poor recovery of contractile function with reperfusion. Thus during the first 3 min of severe ischemia, glycolysis exerted a net beneficial effect on myocardial function despite significant tissue lactate accumulation.