Myocardial oxidative metabolism and protein synthesis during mechanical circulatory support by extracorporeal membrane oxygenation

Mitochondrial Metabolism in Myocardial Remodeling and Mechanical Unloading: Implications for Ischemic Heart Disease

Ischemic heart disease refers to myocardial degeneration, necrosis, and fibrosis caused by coronary artery disease. It can lead to severe left ventricular dysfunction (LVEF ≤ 35–40%) and is a major cause of heart failure (HF). In each contraction, myocardium is subjected to a variety of mechanical forces, such as stretch, afterload, and shear stress, and these mechanical stresses are clinically associated with myocardial remodeling and, eventually, cardiac outcomes. Mitochondria produce 90% of ATP in the heart and participate in metabolic pathways that regulate the balance of glucose and fatty acid oxidative phosphorylation. However, altered energetics and metabolic reprogramming are proved to aggravate HF development and progression by disturbing substrate utilization. This review briefly summarizes the current insights into the adaptations of cardiomyocytes to mechanical stimuli and underlying mechanisms in ischemic heart disease, with focusing on mitochondrial metabolism. We also discuss how mechanical circulatory support (MCS) alters myocardial energy metabolism and affects the detrimental metabolic adaptations of the dysfunctional myocardium.

Nutrition in Pediatric Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation: A Narrative Review

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support is increasingly utilized in quaternary pediatric intensive care units. Metabolic derangements and altered nutritional requirements are common in critically ill children supported on ECMO. However, there remains no consensus on the optimal approach to the prescription of nutrition in these patients. This narrative review aims to summarize the current medical literature on various aspects of nutrition support in pediatric patients on ECMO. These include: (1) nutritional adequacy, (2) pros and cons of feeding on ECMO, (3) enteral vs. parenteral nutrition, and (4) proposed recommendations and future directions for research in this area.

Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for Hemodynamic Support

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation was first successfully achieved in 1975 in a neonate with meconium aspiration. Neonatal extracorporeal membrane oxygenation has expanded to include hemodynamic support in cardiovascular collapse before and after cardiac surgery, medical heart disease, and rescue therapy for cardiac arrest. Advances in pump technology, circuit biocompatibility, and oxygenators efficiency have allowed extracorporeal membrane oxygenation to support neonates with increasingly complex pathophysiology. Contraindications include extreme prematurity, extremely low birth weight, lethal chromosomal abnormalities, uncontrollable hemorrhage, uncontrollable disseminated intravascular coagulopathy, and severe irreversible brain injury. The future will involve collaboration to guide and evolve evidence-based practices for this life-sustaining therapy.

Metabolic Response to Stress by the Immature Right Ventricle Exposed to Chronic Pressure Overload

Background

The right ventricle exposed to chronic pressure overload exhibits hypertrophy and decompensates when exposed to stress. We hypothesize that impaired ability to increase myocardial oxidative flux through pyruvate dehydrogenase leads to hypertrophied right ventricular (RV) dysfunction when exposed to hemodynamic stress, and pyruvate dehydrogenase stimulation can improve RV function.

Methods and Results

Infant male Yorkshire piglets (13.5±0.6 kg weight, n=19) were used to assess substrate fractional contribution to the citric acid cycle after sustained pulmonary artery banding (PAB). Carbon 13–labeled glucose, lactate, and leucine, oxidative substrate tracers for the citric acid cycle, were infused into the right coronary artery on 7 to 10 days after PAB. RV systolic pressure, RV free wall thickness, and individual cardiomyocyte cell size after PAB were significantly elevated compared with the sham group. Both fractional glucose and lactate oxidations in the PAB group were >2‐fold higher than in the sham group. Pigs with overdrive atrial pacing (≈80% increase in heart rate) stress after PAB showed only a 22% increase in rate‐pressure product from baseline before atrial pacing and limited carbohydrate oxidation rate in the right ventricle. Intracoronary infusion of dichloroacetate, a pyruvate dehydrogenase agonist, produced higher rate‐pressure product (59% increase) in response to increased workload by atrial pacing in association with a marked increase in lactate oxidation.

Conclusions

The immature hypertrophied right ventricle shows limited ability to increase carbohydrate oxidation in response to tachycardia stress leading to energy supply/utilization imbalance and decreased systolic function. Enhanced pyruvate dehydrogenase activation by dichloroacetate increases energy supply and preserves hypertrophied RV contractile function during hemodynamic stress.

Metabolic Response of the Immature Right Ventricle to Acute Pressure Overloading

BACKGROUND

Surgical palliation or repair of complex congenital heart disease in early infancy can produce right ventricular (RV) pressure overload, often leading to acute hemodynamic decompensation. The mechanisms causing this acute RV dysfunction remain unclear. We tested the hypothesis that the immature right ventricle lacks the ability to modify substrate metabolism in order to meet increased energy demands induced by acute pressure overloading.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Twenty-two infant male mixed breed Yorkshire piglets were randomized to a sham operation (Control) or pulmonary artery banding yielding >2-fold elevation over baseline RV systolic pressure. We used carbon 13 (¹³C)-labeled substrates and proton nuclear magnetic resonance to assess RV energy metabolism. [Phosphocreatine]/[ATP] was significantly lower after pulmonary artery banding. [Phosphocreatine]/[ATP] inversely correlated with energy demand indexed by maximal sustained RV systolic pressure/left ventricular systolic pressure. Fractional contributions of fatty acids to citric acid cycle were significantly lower in the pulmonary artery banding group than in the Control group (medium-chain fatty acids; 14.5±1.6 versus 8.2±1.0%, long-chain fatty acids; 9.3±1.5 versus 5.1±1.1%). ¹³C-flux analysis showed that flux via pyruvate decarboxylation did not increase during RV pressure overloading.

CONCLUSIONS

Acute RV pressure overload yielded a decrease in [phosphocreatine]/[ATP] ratio, implying that ATP production did not balance the increasing ATP requirement. Relative fatty acids oxidation decreased without a reciprocal increase in pyruvate decarboxylation. The data imply that RV inability to adjust substrate oxidation contributes to energy imbalance, and potentially to contractile failure. The data suggest that interventions directed at increasing RV pyruvate decarboxylation flux could ameliorate contractile dysfunction associated with acute pressure overloading.

Quantitative cardiac phosphoproteomics profiling during ischemia-reperfusion in an immature swine model

Ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) results in altered metabolic and molecular responses, and phosphorylation is one of the most noted regulatory mechanisms mediating signaling mechanisms during physiological stresses. To expand our knowledge of the potential phosphoproteomic changes in the myocardium during I/R, we used Isobaric Tags for Relative and Absolute Quantitation-based analyses in left ventricular samples obtained from porcine hearts under control or I/R conditions. The data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD006066. We identified 1,896 phosphopeptides within left ventricular control and I/R porcine samples. Significant differential phosphorylation between control and I/R groups was discovered in 111 phosphopeptides from 86 proteins. Analysis of the phosphopeptides using Motif-x identified five motifs: (..R..S..), (..SP..), (..S.S..), (..S…S..), and (..S.T..). Semiquantitative immunoblots confirmed site location and directional changes in phosphorylation for phospholamban and pyruvate dehydrogenase E1, two proteins known to be altered by I/R and identified by this study. Novel phosphorylation sites associated with I/R were also identified. Functional characterization of the phosphopeptides identified by our methodology could expand our understanding of the signaling mechanisms involved during I/R damage in the heart as well as identify new areas to target therapeutic strategies.NEW & NOTEWORTHY We used Isobaric Tags for Relative and Absolute Quantitation technology to investigate the phosphoproteomic changes that occur in cardiac tissue under ischemia-reperfusion conditions. The results of this study provide an extensive catalog of phosphoproteins, both predicted and novel, associated with ischemia-reperfusion, thereby identifying new pathways for investigation.

Right ventricular metabolism during venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in immature swine heart in vivo

Venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) provides hemodynamic rescue for patients encountering right or left ventricular (RV or LV) decompensation, particularly after surgery for congenital heart defects. ECMO, supported metabolically by parenteral nutrition, provides reductions in myocardial work and energy demand and, therefore, enhances functional recovery. The RV must often assume systemic ventricular pressures and function on weaning from VA-ECMO. However the substrate utilization responses of the RV to VA-ECMO or stimulation are unknown. We determined RV and LV substrate utilization response to VA-ECMO in immature swine heart. Mixed-breed male Yorkshire pigs (33-49 days old) underwent normal pressure volume loading (control, n = 5) or were unloaded by VA-ECMO (ECMO, n = 10) for 8 h. Five pigs with ECMO received intravenous thyroid hormone [triiodothyronine (T₃)] to alter substrate utilization. Carbon 13 (¹³C)-labeled substrates (lactate and medium-chain and long-chain fatty acids) were systemically infused as metabolic tracers. Analyses by nuclear magnetic resonance showed that both ventricles have similar trends of fractional ¹³C-labeled substrate contributions to the citric acid cycle under control conditions. VA-ECMO produced higher long-chain fatty acids and lower lactate contribution to the citric acid cycle via inhibition of pyruvate dehydrogenase, whereas T₃ promoted lactate metabolism in both ventricles. However, these metabolic shifts were smaller in RV, and RV fatty acid contributions showed minimal response to perturbations. Furthermore, VA-ECMO and T₃ also achieved high [phosphocreatine]/[ATP] and low [NADH]/[NAD⁺] in LV but not in RV. These data suggest that the RV shows decreased ability to modify substrate utilization and achieve improvements in energy supply/demand during VA-ECMO.NEW & NOTEWORTHY We showed that the right ventricle unloaded by venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) has diminished capacity to alter substrate utilization compared with the left ventricle. This decrease in metabolic flexibility contributes to the inability to increase high-energy phosphate reserves during myocardial rest by VA-ECMO.

Cardiac failure in very long chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) treatment: A case report and review of the literature

Fatty acid oxidation (FAO) defects often present with multi-system involvement, including several life-threatening cardiac manifestations, such as cardiomyopathy, pericardial effusion and arrhythmias. We report herein a fatal case of cardiac dysfunction and rapid-onset tamponade following an acute illness in a neonate with molecularly proven very long chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (VLCAD) deficiency (harboring the known del799_802 mutation), requiring 15 days of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) treatment. As data regarding the use of ECMO in FAO defects in general, and VLCAD in particular, are scarce, we review the literature and discuss insights from in vitro models and several successful reported cases.

Selective cerebral perfusion prevents abnormalities in glutamate cycling and neuronal apoptosis in a model of infant deep hypothermic circulatory arrest and reperfusion

Deep hypothermic circulatory arrest is often required for the repair of complex congenital cardiac defects in infants. However, deep hypothermic circulatory arrest induces neuroapoptosis associated with later development of neurocognitive abnormalities. Selective cerebral perfusion theoretically provides superior neural protection possibly through modifications in cerebral substrate oxidation and closely integrated glutamate cycling. We tested the hypothesis that selective cerebral perfusion modulates glucose utilization, and ameliorates abnormalities in glutamate flux, which occur in association with neuroapoptosis during deep hypothermic circulatory arrest. Eighteen infant male Yorkshire piglets were assigned randomly to two groups of seven (deep hypothermic circulatory arrest or deep hypothermic circulatory arrest with selective cerebral perfusion for 60 minutes at 18℃) and four control pigs without cardiopulmonary bypass support. Carbon-13-labeled glucose as a metabolic tracer was infused, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance were used for metabolic analysis in the frontal cortex. Following 2.5 h of cerebral reperfusion, we observed similar cerebral adenosine triphosphate levels, absolute levels of lactate and citric acid cycle intermediates, and carbon-13 enrichment among three groups. However, deep hypothermic circulatory arrest induced significant abnormalities in glutamate cycling resulting in reduced glutamate/glutamine and elevated γ-aminobutyric acid/glutamate along with neuroapoptosis, which were all prevented by selective cerebral perfusion. The data suggest that selective cerebral perfusion prevents these modifications in glutamate/glutamine/γ-aminobutyric acid cycling and protects the cerebral cortex from apoptosis.

Assessing Cardiac Metabolism: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association

In a complex system of interrelated reactions, the heart converts chemical energy to mechanical energy. Energy transfer is achieved through coordinated activation of enzymes, ion channels, and contractile elements, as well as structural and membrane proteins. The heart's needs for energy are difficult to overestimate. At a time when the cardiovascular research community is discovering a plethora of new molecular methods to assess cardiac metabolism, the methods remain scattered in the literature. The present statement on "Assessing Cardiac Metabolism" seeks to provide a collective and curated resource on methods and models used to investigate established and emerging aspects of cardiac metabolism. Some of those methods are refinements of classic biochemical tools, whereas most others are recent additions from the powerful tools of molecular biology. The aim of this statement is to be useful to many and to do justice to a dynamic field of great complexity.

Differential effects of octanoate and heptanoate on myocardial metabolism during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in an infant swine model

Nutritional energy support during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) should promote successful myocardial adaptation and eventual weaning from the ECMO circuit. Fatty acids (FAs) are a major myocardial energy source, and medium-chain FAs (MCFAs) are easily taken up by cell and mitochondria without membrane transporters. Odd-numbered MCFAs supply carbons to the citric acid cycle (CAC) via anaplerotic propionyl-CoA as well as acetyl-CoA, the predominant β-oxidation product for even-numbered MCFA. Theoretically, this anaplerotic pathway enhances carbon entry into the CAC, and provides superior energy state and preservation of protein synthesis. We tested this hypothesis in an immature swine model undergoing ECMO. Fifteen male Yorkshire pigs (26-45 days old) with 8-h ECMO received either normal saline, heptanoate (odd-numbered MCFA), or octanoate (even-numbered MCFA) at 2.3 μmol·kg body wt(-1)·min(-1) as MCFAs systemically during ECMO (n = 5/group). The 13-carbon ((13)C)-labeled substrates ([2-(13)C]lactate, [5,6,7-(13)C3]heptanoate, and [U-(13)C6]leucine) were systemically infused as metabolic markers for the final 60 min before left ventricular tissue extraction. Extracted tissues were analyzed for the (13)C-labeled and absolute concentrations of metabolites by nuclear magnetic resonance and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Octanoate produced markedly higher myocardial citrate concentration, and led to a higher [ATP]-to-[ADP] ratio compared with other groups. Unexpectedly, octanoate and heptanoate increased the flux of propionyl-CoA relative to acetyl-CoA into the CAC compared with control. MCFAs promoted increases in leucine oxidation, but were not associated with a difference in protein synthesis rate. In conclusion, octanoate provides energetic advantages to the heart over heptanoate.

Non-invasive Measurements of Energy Expenditure and Respiratory Quotient by Respiratory Mass Spectrometry in Children on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation-A Pilot Study

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) provides temporary life-saving support for pediatric patients with severe cardiac failure, but causes metabolic disturbances and altered nutritional requirements. However, few studies have addressed the optimal energy supply to meet the demand of these children, largely due to technical difficulties with their invasive nature. We have adapted respiratory mass spectrometry to continuously measure O2 consumption and CO2 production in the gas exchange across the ECMO oxygenator, as well as that across the ventilator. This study aimed to assess energy expenditure (EE) and respiratory quotient (RQ) in children on ECMO. Five children (aged 0.3 to 36 months, median 20) were studied between Day 1 and Day 6 on ECMO. EE and RQ were measured in sequential fashion at the child's native lungs and ECMO oxygenator using respiratory mass spectrometry. Measurements were collected at 4-h intervals, with the means in 24 h representing the values of each day. Each child's caloric and protein intakes were recorded for each day. Between ECMO Days 1 and 6, there was a small but significant increase in EE from 40 to 46 kcal/kg/day (P = 0.03). In comparison, the caloric intake significantly increased by twice as much as EE from 30 to 61 kcal/kg/day (P = 0.017). As a result, RQ significantly increased from 0.6 to 1.0 (P < 0.0001). Protein intake significantly increased during ECMO Days 1 to 6 from 0.5 to 1.5 g/kg/day (P = 0.04). Respiratory mass spectrometry is feasible to provide a unique and safe technique to measure EE and RQ in patients on ECMO. Without this knowledge, inadequate feeding may occur. Further studies are warranted in a larger patient population to provide better information to guide clinical practice in this special group of critically ill children.

Pyruvate modifies metabolic flux and nutrient sensing during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in an immature swine model

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) provides mechanical circulatory support for infants and children with postoperative cardiopulmonary failure. Nutritional support is mandatory during ECMO although specific actions for substrates on the heart have not been delineated. Prior work shows that enhancing pyruvate oxidation promotes successful weaning from ECMO. Accordingly, we tested the hypothesis that prolonged systemic pyruvate supplementation activates pyruvate oxidation in an immature swine model in vivo. Twelve male mixed-breed Yorkshire piglets (age 30-49 days) received systemic infusion of either normal saline (group C) or pyruvate (group P) during the final 6 h of 8 h of ECMO. Over the final hour, piglets received [2-(13)C] pyruvate, as a reference substrate for oxidation, and [(13)C6]-l-leucine, as an indicator for amino acid oxidation and protein synthesis. A significant increase in lactate and pyruvate concentrations occurred, along with an increase in the absolute concentration of the citric acid cycle intermediates. An increase in anaplerotic flux through pyruvate carboxylation in group P occurred compared with no change in pyruvate oxidation. Additionally, pyruvate promoted an increase in the phosphorylation state of several nutrient-sensitive enzymes, like AMP-activated protein kinase and acetyl CoA carboxylase, suggesting activation for fatty acid oxidation. Pyruvate also promoted O-GlcNAcylation through the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway. In conclusion, although prolonged pyruvate supplementation did not alter pyruvate oxidation, it did elicit changes in nutrient- and energy-sensitive pathways. Therefore, the observed results support the further study of pyruvate and its downstream effect on cardiac function.

Triiodothyronine activates lactate oxidation without impairing fatty acid oxidation and improves weaning from extracorporeal membrane oxygenation

BACKGROUND

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) provides a rescue for children with severe cardiac failure. It has previously been shown that triiodothyronine (T3) improves cardiac function by modulating pyruvate oxidation during weaning. This study focused on fatty acid (FA) metabolism modulated by T3 for weaning from ECMO after cardiac injury. METHODS AND RESULTS: Nineteen immature piglets (9.1-15.3 kg) were separated into 3 groups with ECMO (6.5 h) and wean: normal circulation (Group-C); transient coronary occlusion (10 min) for ischemia-reperfusion (IR) followed by ECMO (Group-IR); and IR with T3 supplementation (Group-IR-T3). 13-Carbon ((13)C)-labeled lactate, medium-chain and long-chain FAs, was infused as oxidative substrates. Substrate fractional contribution (FC) to the citric acid cycle was analyzed by(13)C-nuclear magnetic resonance. ECMO depressed circulating T3 levels to 40% of the baseline at 4 h and were restored in Group-IR-T3. Group-IR decreased cardiac power, which was not fully restorable and 2 pigs were lost because of weaning failure. Group-IR also depressed FC-lactate, while the excellent contractile function and energy efficiency in Group-IR-T3 occurred along with a marked FC-lactate increase and [adenosine triphosphate]/[adenosine diphosphate] without either decreasing FC-FAs or elevating myocardial oxygen consumption over Group-C or -IR.

CONCLUSIONS

T3 releases inhibition of lactate oxidation following IR injury without impairing FA oxidation. These findings indicate that T3 depression during ECMO is maladaptive, and that restoring levels improves metabolic flux and enhances contractile function during weaning.

Triiodothyronine facilitates weaning from extracorporeal membrane oxygenation by improved mitochondrial substrate utilization

BACKGROUND

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) provides a bridge to recovery after myocardial injury in infants and children, yet morbidity and mortality remain high. Weaning from the circuit requires adequate cardiac contractile function, which can be impaired by metabolic disturbances induced either by ischemia-reperfusion and/or by ECMO. We tested the hypothesis that although ECMO partially ameliorates metabolic abnormalities induced by ischemia-reperfusion, these abnormalities persist or recur with weaning. We also determined if thyroid hormone supplementation (triiodothyronine) during ECMO improves oxidative metabolism and cardiac function.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Neonatal piglets underwent transient coronary ischemia to induce cardiac injury then were separated into 4 groups based on loading status. Piglets without coronary ischemia served as controls. We infused into the left coronary artery [2-(13)C]pyruvate and [(13)C6, (15)N]l-leucine to evaluate oxidative metabolism by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance methods. ECMO improved survival, increased oxidative substrate contribution through pyruvate dehydrogenase, reduced succinate and fumarate accumulation, and ameliorated ATP depletion induced by ischemia. The functional and metabolic benefit of ECMO was lost with weaning, yet triiodothyronine supplementation during ECMO restored function, increased relative pyruvate dehydrogenase flux, reduced succinate and fumarate, and preserved ATP stores.

CONCLUSIONS

Although ECMO provides metabolic rest by decreasing energy demand, metabolic impairments persist, and are exacerbated with weaning. Treating ECMO-induced thyroid depression with triiodothyronine improves substrate flux, myocardial oxidative capacity and cardiac contractile function. This translational model suggests that metabolic targeting can improve weaning.

Propofol compared with isoflurane inhibits mitochondrial metabolism in immature swine cerebral cortex

Anesthetics used in infants and children are implicated in the development of neurocognitive disorders. Although propofol induces neuroapoptosis in developing brain, the underlying mechanisms require elucidation and may have an energetic basis. We studied substrate utilization in immature swine anesthetized with either propofol or isoflurane for 4 hours. Piglets were infused with 13-Carbon-labeled glucose and leucine in the common carotid artery to assess citric acid cycle (CAC) metabolism in the parietal cortex. The anesthetics produced similar systemic hemodynamics and cerebral oxygen saturation by near-infrared spectroscopy. Compared with isoflurane, propofol depleted ATP and glycogen stores. Propofol decreased pools of the CAC intermediates, citrate, and α-ketoglutarate, while markedly increasing succinate along with decreasing mitochondrial complex II activity. Propofol also inhibited acetyl-CoA entry into the CAC through pyruvate dehydrogenase, while promoting glycolytic flux with marked lactate accumulation. Although oxygen supply appeared similar between the anesthetic groups, propofol yielded a metabolic phenotype that resembled a hypoxic state. Propofol impairs substrate flux through the CAC in the immature cerebral cortex. These impairments occurred without systemic metabolic perturbations that typically accompany propofol infusion syndrome. These metabolic abnormalities may have a role in the neurotoxity observed with propofol in the vulnerable immature brain.

Effects of continuous triiodothyronine infusion on the tricarboxylic acid cycle in the normal immature swine heart under extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in vivo

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is frequently used in infants with postoperative cardiopulmonary failure. ECMO also suppresses circulating triiodothyronine (T3) levels and modifies myocardial metabolism. We assessed the hypothesis that T3 supplementation reverses ECMO-induced metabolic abnormalities in the immature heart. Twenty-two male Yorkshire pigs (age: 25-38 days) with ECMO received [2-(13)C]lactate, [2,4,6,8-(13)C4]octanoate (medium-chain fatty acid), and [U-(13)C]long-chain fatty acids as metabolic tracers either systemically (totally physiological intracoronary concentration) or directly into the coronary artery (high substrate concentration) for the last 60 min of each protocol. NMR analysis of left ventricular tissue determined the fractional contribution of these substrates to the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Fifty percent of the pigs in each group received intravenous T3 supplement (bolus at 0.6 μg/kg and then continuous infusion at 0.2 μg·kg(-1)·h(-1)) during ECMO. Under both substrate loading conditions, T3 significantly increased the fractional contribution of lactate with a marginal increase in the fractional contribution of octanoate. Both T3 and high substrate provision increased the myocardial energy status, as indexed by phosphocreatine concentration/ATP concentration. In conclusion, T3 supplementation promoted lactate metabolism to the tricarboxylic acid cycle during ECMO, suggesting that T3 releases the inhibition of pyruvate dehydrogenase. Manipulation of substrate utilization by T3 may be used therapeutically during ECMO to improve the resting energy state and facilitate weaning.

Myocardial reloading after extracorporeal membrane oxygenation alters substrate metabolism while promoting protein synthesis

Background

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) unloads the heart, providing a bridge to recovery in children after myocardial stunning. ECMO also induces stress which can adversely affect the ability to reload or wean the heart from the circuit. Metabolic impairments induced by altered loading and/or stress conditions may impact weaning. However, cardiac substrate and amino acid requirements upon weaning are unknown. We assessed the hypothesis that ventricular reloading with ECMO modulates both substrate entry into the citric acid cycle (CAC) and myocardial protein synthesis.

Methods and Results

Sixteen immature piglets (7.8 to 15.6 kg) were separated into 2 groups based on ventricular loading status: 8‐hour ECMO (UNLOAD) and postwean from ECMO (RELOAD). We infused into the coronary artery [2‐¹³C]‐pyruvate as an oxidative substrate and [¹³C₆]‐L‐leucine as an indicator for amino acid oxidation and protein synthesis. Upon RELOAD, each functional parameter, which were decreased substantially by ECMO, recovered to near‐baseline level with the exclusion of minimum dP/dt. Accordingly, myocardial oxygen consumption was also increased, indicating that overall mitochondrial metabolism was reestablished. At the metabolic level, when compared to UNLOAD, RELOAD altered the contribution of various substrates/pathways to tissue pyruvate formation, favoring exogenous pyruvate versus glycolysis, and acetyl‐CoA formation, shifting away from pyruvate decarboxylation to endogenous substrate, presumably fatty acids. Furthermore, there was also a significant increase of tissue concentrations for all CAC intermediates (≈80%), suggesting enhanced anaplerosis, and of fractional protein synthesis rates (>70%).

Conclusions

RELOAD alters both cytosolic and mitochondrial energy substrate metabolism, while favoring leucine incorporation into protein synthesis rather than oxidation in the CAC. Improved understanding of factors governing these metabolic perturbations may serve as a basis for interventions and thereby improve success rate from weaning from ECMO.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation promotes long chain fatty acid oxidation in the immature swine heart in vivo

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) supports infants and children with severe cardiopulmonary compromise. Nutritional support for these children includes provision of medium- and long-chain fatty acids (FAs). However, ECMO induces a stress response, which could limit the capacity for FA oxidation. Metabolic impairment could induce new or exacerbate existing myocardial dysfunction. Using a clinically relevant piglet model, we tested the hypothesis that ECMO maintains the myocardial capacity for FA oxidation and preserves myocardial energy state. Provision of 13-Carbon labeled medium-chain FA (octanoate), long-chain free FAs (LCFAs), and lactate into systemic circulation showed that ECMO promoted relative increases in myocardial LCFA oxidation while inhibiting lactate oxidation. Loading of these labeled substrates at high dose into the left coronary artery demonstrated metabolic flexibility as the heart preferentially oxidized octanoate. ECMO preserved this octanoate metabolic response, but also promoted LCFA oxidation and inhibited lactate utilization. Rapid upregulation of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase-4 (PDK4) protein appeared to participate in this metabolic shift during ECMO. ECMO also increased relative flux from lactate to alanine further supporting the role for pyruvate dehydrogenase inhibition by PDK4. High dose substrate loading during ECMO also elevated the myocardial energy state indexed by phosphocreatine to ATP ratio. ECMO promotes LCFA oxidation in immature hearts, while maintaining myocardial energy state. These data support the appropriateness of FA provision during ECMO support for the immature heart.