Effects of glucose, insulin and potassium infusion on tissue metabolic changes within first hour of myocardial infarction in the baboon.

The effects of infusions of glucose, insulin and potassium (GIK) on the heart tissue metabolic changes found in adult baboons 60 min after coronary artery ligation were studied. Biopsies taken from 11 baboons without coronary artery ligation gave control values. A second group of 46 baboons had coronary artery ligation. A third group of 17 baboons received an infusion of KCl after coronary artery ligation. A fourth group of 26 baboons received infusion of GIK. Coronary artery ligation resulted in the expected fall of ATP, creatine phosphate, glycogen, tissue (K+/Na+) ratio, and tissue pH, and rise of inorganic phosphate, lactare, lactate/pyruvate ratio and alpha-glycerophosphate in the infarction zones. Compared with ligation, additional infusions of GIK approximately doubled the contents of creatine phosphate and glycogen in the infarct zones, increased the content of ATP in the central infarct zone, and decreased the content of inorganic phosphate in the peripheral infarct zone. Other GIK effects were that the tissue (K+/Na+) ratio rose in the peripheral infarct zone, and the content of both glycogen and lactate rose in the peri-infarct and non-ischemic zones; the pH of tissue homogenates did not decrease. KCl infusions had few effects compared with the ligation group. GIK infusions exerted a beneficial effect when compared with infusions of KCl in that tissue creatine phosphate rose in the peripheral infarct and nonischemic zones; the tissue K+/Na+ ratio rose in the peripheral infarct, peri-infarct, and nonischemic zones; and the lactate/pyruvate ratio fell in the infarct zone. It is proposed that GIK counteracted early tissue metabolic deterioration in the infarcting baboon heart.