Effect of hypoxia, aging and pharmacological treatment on muscular metabolites and enzyme activities.

The effect of hypoxia and post-hypoxic recovery were studied in gastrocnemius muscle of young-adult and mature beagle dogs. Furthermore, the possible interference of pharmacological treatment with nicergoline was evaluated in these conditions. Muscular glycolytic fuels, intermediates and end-products (glycogen, glucose, glucose 6-phosphate, pyruvate, lactate), Kreb's cycle intermediates (citrate, alpha-ketoglutarate, succinate, malate) and related free amino acids (glutamate, alanine), ammonium ion, energy store and mediators (ATP, ADP, AMP and creatine phosphate), and the energy charge potential were evaluated. Furthermore, in the crude extract and/or mitochondrial fraction of another portion of the same gastrocnemius muscle the maximum rate (Vmax) of some muscular enzymes related to the anaerobic glycolytic pathway (hexokinase, lactate dehydrogenase), the Kreb's cycle (citrate synthase, malate dehydrogenase), the aminoacid pool related to the Krebs' cycle (glutamate dehydrogenase and aspartate aminotransferase), the electron transfer chain (cytochrome oxidase) and NAD+/NADH exchanges (total NADH cytochrome c reductase) was evaluated. Some glycolytic metabolites and Krebs' cycle intermediates were modified by acute hypoxia, while free amino acids and energy mediators remained practically unchanged. The pharmacological treatment maintained the glucose and succinate muscular concentrations within the normal range, during hypoxia. The behaviour of muscular metabolites during hypoxia and/or post-hypoxic recovery is an age-related event. In fact, only in young-adult animals did the altered values return to normal in post-hypoxic recovery. In the present experimental conditions, only minor changes were observed as far as muscular enzyme activities are concerned. In any case, some enzyme activities tested showed different Vmax in young-adult dogs in comparison with mature ones.