Experimentally observed phenomena on cardiac energetics in heart failure emerge from simulations of cardiac metabolism.

ABSTRACT: The failing heart is hypothesized to suffer from energy supply inadequate for supporting normal cardiac function. We analyzed data from a canine left ventricular hypertrophy model to determine how the energy state evolves because of changes in key metabolic pools. Our findings--confirmed by in vivo (31)P-magnetic resonance spectroscopy--indicate that the transition between the clinically observed early compensatory phase and heart failure and the critical point at which the transition occurs are emergent properties of cardiac energy metabolism. Specifically, analysis reveals a phenomenon in which low and moderate reductions in metabolite pools have no major negative impact on oxidative capacity, whereas reductions beyond a critical tipping point lead to a severely compromised energy state.

SUBMITTER: Wu F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2667147 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature