Metabolic intermediates and lactate diffusion in active dog skeletal muscle.

The concentration of several metabolic intermediates, blood flow (Q), oxygen uptake (VO2), and lactate release (La) were measured in the gastrocnemius muscle of anesthetized dogs. Muscle lactate concentration increased from 1.6 to 2.7 mumol/g wet wt (P less than 0.05) during 0.5-5 min of contractions at 5 twitches/s but was not different from the contralateral resting muscle at 15, 30, or 60 min. Glycerophosphate increased from 0.35 to 0.70 mumol/g wet wt (P less than 0.05) during 0.5-5 min of activity, whereas muscle pyruvate decreased from 0.09 to 0.07 mumol/g wet wt (P less than 0.05). The concentration of NAD did not change in 9 of 11 experiments during contractions, despite a 12- to 15-fold increase in La. Significant decreases in NAD were observed when Q was compromised by arterial occlusion during contractions. No demonstrable relationship existed between La and either the muscle lactate concentration or muscle-venous lactate concentration gradient. Q was positively correlated with both La and muscle lactate during the first 5-15 min of activity. We conclude that increased La or increased lactate concentration in muscle need not be associated with hypoxia and that Q has a major influence on La.