Metabolite concentrations in skeletal muscle of different aged rats submitted to hypoxia and pharmacological treatment with nicergoline.

The energy metabolism of the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles in young-adult, mature, and senescent rats was evaluated after 72 h of continuous exposure to normobaric hypoxia or normoxia. The effects of treatment with the alpha-adrenergic antagonist nicergoline were also investigated. In the gastrocnemius muscle we evaluated the concentrations of some significative metabolites involved in anaerobic glycolysis and the Krebs' cycle, free amino acids related to the Krebs' cycle, ammonia, some energy mediators, and the energy store creatine phosphate.

Effect of L-carnitine on myocardial metabolism: results of a balanced, placebo-controlled, double-blind study in patients undergoing open heart surgery.

The effects of L-carnitine on cardiac performance after open heart surgery were evaluated in a balanced, placebo-controlled, double-blind study in 38 patients. Preoperative haemodynamic status was good in all of them. Seventeen subjects underwent mitral valve replacement and 19 patients coronary artery bypass grafting.

Altered muscle energy metabolism in post-absorptive patients with chronic renal failure.

Skeletal muscle biopsies were performed on 12 healthy sedentary subjects and on 22 non-dyalized chronic renal failure patients (CRF) on a free diet and after overnight fasting. Parathormone, glucagon and insulin were determined at the same time of biopsies. CRF patients showed significantly low ATP and creatine phosphate levels.

Biochemical analysis of muscle biopsy in overnight fasting patients with severe chronic heart failure.

To better characterize the role of skeletal muscle in chronic heart failure we studied energetic charge, metabolites and enzyme activity in the energy production pathway. We selected 15 males with severe chronic heart failure (NYHA class III, stable clinical conditions and in normal nutritional status) and seven controls. Controls and patients were submitted to biopsy of the vastus lateralis muscle in resting and fasting conditions.