Fatty acid synthesis in the arrested rabbit heart during ischemia.

In rabbit hearts arrested by a carnosine-buffered cardioplegic solution the incorporation of [1-14C]acetate into lipids was investigated. After 10-20 and 60 min of ischemia the radioactivities of phospholipids, mono-, di-, and triacylglycerols, acyl-CoA, acylcarnitine, and free fatty acids were determined. In the first period of ischemia mainly acylcarnitine was labelled (ca. 50%) and only 25% of [14C]-activity was found in phospholipids which showed the lowest specific activity of all lipid classes. After 60 min of ischemia the percentage of total radioactivity of acylcarnitine and phospholipids was decreased, whereas that of neutral lipids was increased to more than 50%. During the increase of total radioactivity the relative specific activity of all lipids decreased except that of triacylglycerols. Only fatty acids up to chain lengths of 16 carbon atoms were labelled. Lauric and myristic acid had high specific activities. These results indicated de novo synthesis of fatty acids accumulating in triacylglycerols during ischemia of the arrested heart.