An investigation of respiration of rat heart muscle slices was carried out using the manometric technique. The experimental method was described in Part I of this article. In this report, the respiration in the presence of lactic acid and pyruvic acid as substrate was studied comparing with that of glucose.1) The presence of lactic acid increased respiration of heart muscle slices. When gas was pure oxygen, Qo
2 in the first hour was 18.7 or 17.2, when lactate concentration was 0.01 M or 0.02 M accordingly. It was twice as high as the endogenous respiration value. When gas was air, it decreased to about 40 per cent, namely 7.6 and 7.4 of Qo
2, (Fig 1, 2. Table 1, 2, 3, 4.)2) In the presence of pyruvic acid, oxygen consumption was greater than in lactic acid medium. When. pure oxygen was used, Qo
2 was 24.9 in 0.01 M, and 26.5 in 0.02 M. When air was used, 9.1 and 7.9 respectively. (Fig 3, 4. Table 5, 6, 7, 8) 3) In both lactate and pyruvate medium, respiration rate deceased gradually hour by hour, so Qo
2 at the fourth hour was about 50 per cent of its initial value.4) In both substrates medium, . oxygen consumption of heart muscle slices was independent of its concentration (at least between 0.01 M and 0.02 M).5) Comparing these results with that of experiments (in glucose medium) reported in the Part I of this article, it could be considered as follows; glucose is a steady and constant fuel of the heart muscle, while lactate and pyruvate are fuels for the emergency metabolic demand, especially when the concentration of these substances in blood is elevated, because they are oxidized easily and rapidly in contrast with glucose.6) When gas was air, Qo
2 was about as one third as in pure oxygen, disregarding the kind of substrate (glucose, lactate, or pyruvate). So it was suggested that hypoxemia in such degree as 20 per cent O
2 at least, never damages lacticodehydrogenase nor other enzyme which mediates the chemical transmit from carbohydrate to Co
2.
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