Malonyl CoA Decarboxylase Inhibition Improves Cardiac Function Post-Myocardial Infarction

•

MCD inhibition decreases fatty acid oxidation via increasing malonyl coenzyme A levels to prevent fatty acid uptake into mitochondria in the failing hearts induced by coronary artery ligation.

•

Downregulating fatty acid oxidation by MCD inhibition occurrs in conjuction with a decrease in glycolysis and in proton production while an increase in triacylglycerol biosynthesis.

•

MCD inhibition enhances antioxidative capacity through increasing mitochondrial superoxide dismutase activity via reducing its acetylation.

Alterations in cardiac energy metabolism after a myocardial infarction contribute to the severity of heart failure (HF). Although fatty acid oxidation can be impaired in HF, it is unclear if stimulating fatty acid oxidation is a desirable approach to treat HF. Both immediate and chronic malonyl coenzyme A decarboxylase inhibition, which decreases fatty acid oxidation, improved cardiac function through enhancing cardiac efficiency in a post–myocardial infarction rat that underwent permanent left anterior descending coronary artery ligation. The beneficial effects of MCD inhibition were attributed to a decrease in proton production due to an improved coupling between glycolysis and glucose oxidation.