Myocardial metabolism of pantothenic acid in chronically diabetic rats.

Transport and metabolism of [3H]pantothenic acid ([3H]Pa) was investigated in hearts from control and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. In isolated perfused hearts from control animals, the transport of [3H]Pa was linear over 3 h of perfusion when 11 mM glucose was the only exogenous substrate. The in vitro transport of [3H]Pa by hearts from 48-h diabetic rats was reduced by 65% compared to controls and was linear over 2 h of perfusion with no further accumulation of Pa during the third hour. The defect in transport observed in vitro could be corrected by in vivo treatment with 4 U Lente insulin/day for 2 days. In vitro addition of insulin in the presence of 11 mM glucose or 11 mM glucose plus 1.2 mM palmitate had no effect on [3H]Pa transport in hearts from 48-h diabetic rats during 3 h of perfusion. Accumulation of [3H]Pa was not inhibited by inclusion of 0.7 mM amino acids, 1 mM carnitine, 50 microM mersalic acid or 1 mM panthenol, pantoyllactone or pantoyltaurine. Uptake was inhibited by 1 mM nonanoic, octanoic or heptanoic acid, 0.1 mM biotin or 0.25 mM probenecid, suggesting a requirement for the terminal carboxyl group for transport. Transport of pantothenic acid was reduced in hearts from diabetic rats within 24 h of injection of streptozotocin. In vitro accumulation of [3H]Pa decreased to 10% of control 1 week after streptozotocin injection and then remained at 30% of the control value over 10 weeks.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)