R. Furchgott, E. Shorr
Aug 1, 1948
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Journal
The Journal of biological chemistry
Abstract
The striking enhancement by succinate of the 02 consumption of excised tissues suggested the possibility that this substrate might serve to maintain more normal oxidat,ive rates in tissues exposed to the reduced oxygen tensions prevailing in circulatory shock. As part of a coordinated research program on the therapy of shock under the auspices of the Committee on Medical Research of the Office of Scientific Research and Development, this possibility was explored in a number of laboratories. Studies in this laboratory were carried out on excised tissues in order to avoid the difficulties of interpretation inherent in experiments on whole animals and to permit a more specific analysis of the respiratory and metabolic effects of succinate. The experiments were designed with two purposes in mind. The first was to ascertain the effect of succinate on the respiration of a variety of mammalian tissues in vitro under the low 02 tensions characteristic of circulatory shock. The second was to determine the influence of succinate on specific essential metabolic processes, particularly those which require oxidative energy for their maintenance. The following tissues and metabolic processes were investigated: brain (acetylcholine synthesis), liver (urea synthesis), kidney (deamination), cardiac muscle and smooth muscle (“high energy” phosphate resynthesis), and skeletal muscle. With all of these tissues succinate in substrate concentration* markedly increased the O2 consumption at low as well as at high 02 tensions. However, in no instance was the energy resulting from the extra oxygen con-