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Effects of Prolonged Starvation on Cardiac Energy Metabolism in the Rat¹

Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Howard University College of Medicine, Washington, D.C. 20059

Experiments were carried out on two series of adult male rats (ad libitum-fed control and starved) for 7 days, at the end of which time components of the glycolytic, citric acid cycle, and associated metabolic pathways in the heart were examined. Levels of myocardial and arterial plasma metabolites in vivo were determined by fluoroenzymatic assays. Activities of enzymes in heart extracts and isolated mitochondria were measured in vitro spectrophotometrically. In starved rats, decreases were observed in heart tissue glucose, fructose-1,6-diphosphate, lactate, alanine, glutamate, and ADP; increases occurred in fructose-6-phosphate, ß-hydroxybutyrate, acetoacetate, and ATP. Slight to moderate elevations were noted in citric acid cycle metabolites. States of marked hypoglycemia, hyperketonemia, and hypocitricemia also developed. Evidence indicates that flux through the glycolytic pathway is diminished in prolonged starvation as a result of PFK inhibition. Elevated ATP and decreased AMP are suggested as possible factors in PFK inhibition; citrate is believed to have little effect. It is also postulated that amino acid utilization in the heart increases and that dependence on lipids as fuels of oxidation decreases. The latter occurs despite the high levels of circulating ketone bodies. There is little indication from a profile of citric acid cycle metabolites and analyses of mitochondrial enzyme activities that regulation of cycle activity is significantly altered.

KEY WORDS: • starvation • heart • glycolysis • citric acid cycle • ketone bodies • amino acids • enzymes

¹ Supported in part by USPHS Training Grant No. NIGMS 1 to 2 GM 05010-01 MARC and by USPHS GRS Grant No. 5 S01 RR 05361.

Manuscript received 23 March 1977.