Effects of isoproterenol on the metabolism of normal and ischemic heart.

A study has been made of the simultaneous evolution of cardiac activity and metabolism in the dog heart in situ, during the perfusion of isoproterenol in a dose comparable to therapeutic doses (1 micrograms x kg-1 x min-1, 30 min). A total cardiopulmonary by-pass system allowed of taking the repeated myocardial tissue samples necessary for the determination of the main energetic substrate and high-energy phosphate content. Samples were taken from subendocardial and subepicardial layers separately. The acceleration of heart rate due to isoproterenol was quickly regressive but, in the well-irrigated heart, the drug elicited a rapid fall in glycogen content and a considerable rise in lactate content, a slower reduction in free fatty acid concentration restricted to the subendocardial layer, and no significant variation of creatine phosphate or ATP. In the ischemic heart, isoproterenol aggravated the glycolysis disturbances without completely losing its effects on lipolysis when the ischemia was not too marked.