Fatty acids are not an important fuel for coronary microvascular endothelial cells.

The metabolism by coronary microvascular endothelial cells (CMEC) of the heart typical substrates palmitate and lactate was compared to that of glucose and glutamine. Confluent cultures of CMEC were used. Palmitate oxidation was saturable and independent of the exogenous albumin concentration. Palmitate, 300 microM, lactate, 1 mM, and glutamine, 0.5 mM, were oxidized to 35, 46, and 56 nmol CO2/h x mg protein. These oxidation rates were decreased by 80, 66, and 48% in presence of 5 mM glucose. The largest energy yield was obtained by glycolytic breakdown of glucose. Glucose, 5 mM, was degraded to lactate by 99%, and oxidized in the Krebs cycle by only 0.04%. 1% was catabolized via the hexose monophosphate pathway. The rate of glucose oxidation in the Krebs cycle could be 30-fold increased by the uncoupler 2,4-dinitrophenol, 30 microM. At concentrations lower than 1 mM the amount of glucose oxidized in the Krebs cycle also grew, indicating existence of the Crabtree effect. The energy demand of CMEC seems to be of the same order as that of the arrested heart.