Glycogenolysis and lactogenesis in the ischemic diabetic rat heart.

The effect of 30 min of myocardial ischemia on cardiac glycogenolysis and lactate accumulation was investigated in streptozotocin (STZ) diabetic and normal rats. In normal rats, ischemia caused a significant reduction in cardiac glycogen and a significant increase in cardiac lactate. STZ rats experienced a similar, but larger, reduction in cardiac glycogen with ischemia but did not accumulate significant quantities of lactic acid suggesting that diabetic rats have a reduced capacity for non-oxidative carbohydrate metabolism in myocardial ischemia.