Glucose and fatty acid metabolism in infarcted heart from streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats after 2 weeks of tissue remodeling

• Grant number: 15/23855-7
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants - Publications - Scientific article
• Start date: January 01, 2016
• End date: June 30, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Physiology - Physiology of Organs and Systems
• Principal Investigator: Christiane Malfitano
• Grantee: Christiane Malfitano
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Background: The effects of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes on heart metabolismand function after myocardial infarction (MI) remodelling were investigated in rats.Methods: Fifteen days after STZ (50 mg/kg b.w. i.v.) injection, MI was induced bysurgical occlusion of the left coronary artery. Two weeks after MI induction, contents ofglycogen, ATP, free fatty acids (FFA) and triacylglycerols (TG) and enzyme activities ofglycolysis and Krebs cycle (hexokinase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase,phosphofructokinase, citrate synthase) and expression of carnitine palmitoyl-CoAtransferase I (a key enzyme of mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation) were measured in the leftventricle (LV). Plasma glucose, free fatty acids and triacylglycerol levels were determined. Ejection fraction (EF) and shortening fraction (SF) were also measured byechocardiography.Results: Glycogen and TG contents were increased (p<0.05) whereas ATP content wasdecreased in the LV of the non-infarcted diabetic group when compared to the controlgroup (p<0.05). When compared to infarcted control rats (MI), the diabetic infarcted rats(DI) showed (p<0.05): increased plasma glucose and TG levels, elevated free fatty acidlevels and increased activity of, citrate synthase and decreased ATP levels in the LV.Infarct size was smaller in the DI group when compared to MI rats (p<0.05), and this wasassociated with higher EF and SF (p<0.05).Conclusions: Systolic function was preserved or recovered more efficiently in the heartfrom diabetic rats two weeks after MI, possibly due to the high provision of glucose andfree fatty acids from both plasma and heart glycogen and triacylglycerol stores. (AU)