AJP - Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, Vol 269, Issue 4 938-R942, Copyright © 1995 by American Physiological Society

ARTICLES

Cerebral lactate metabolism in near-term fetal sheep

R. M. Turbow, D. Curran-Everett, W. W. Hay Jr and M. D. Jones Jr
Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Denver, USA.

The present study was designed to see if lactate can cross the blood-brain barrier of the near-term fetal sheep and replace glucose as an oxidative substrate during normoglycemia and acute insulin-induced hypoglycemia. Cerebral uptake of glucose, oxygen, lactate, and [14C]lactate as well as cerebral production of 14CO2 were measured under three conditions: 1) normoglycemia-normolactemia, 2) acute hypoglycemia-normolactemia, and 3) hypoglycemia-steady-state hyperlactemia. Although uptake of tracer [14C]lactate was consistent, there was no net uptake of unlabeled lactate during either normoglycemia or hypoglycemia. When arterial lactate concentration was raised from 2.2 +/- 0.5 to 3.3 +/- 0.4 (SE) mM by sodium lactate infusion, however, lactate was taken up. Comparison of cerebral [14C]lactate uptake with 14CO2 production indicated that the principal metabolic fate of lactate is oxidation. At increased concentrations, exogenous lactate accounted for approximately 7% of cerebral oxygen consumption. This study demonstrates that lactate crosses the blood-brain barrier of the near-term fetal sheep, is oxidized, and at elevated concentrations can partially replace glucose as an oxidative substrate during acute hypoglycemia.

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