BACKGROUND Both hyperlactatemia and persistence of hyperlactatemia have been associated with bad outcome. We compared lactate and lactate-derived variables in outcome prediction. METHODS Retrospective observational study. Case records from 2,251 consecutive intensive care unit (ICU) patients admitted between 2001 and 2007 were analyzed. Baseline characteristics, all lactate measurements, and ...

In traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients, elevation of the brain extracellular lactate concentration and the lactate/pyruvate ratio are well-recognized, and are associated statistically with unfavorable clinical outcome. Brain extracellular lactate was conventionally regarded as a waste product of glucose, when glucose is metabolized via glycolysis (Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas pathway) to pyruvate, ...

Lactate has been shown to be an important oxidative fuel. We aimed to quantify the total lactate oxidation rate (Rox) and its direct vs. indirect (glucose that is gluconeogenically derived from lactate and subsequently oxidized) components (mg·kg(-1)·min(-1)) during rest and exercise in humans. We also investigated the effects of endurance training, exercise intensity, and blood lactate concent...

The rate of uptake and the distribution ratio between intra- and extracellular compartments of L- and D-lactate were studied in hepatocyte preparations from fed rats. L- and D-lactate uptake apparently depended on both passive diffusion and carrier-mediated components. The apparent Km of the high-affinity carrier for L-lactate was in the range of 1.8 mM. The reciprocal competitive inhibitions b...

The native kidney has a major role in lactate metabolism. The renal cortex appears to be the major lactate-consuming organ in the body after the liver. Under conditions of exogenous hyperlactatemia, the kidney is responsible for the removal of 25-30% of all infused lactate. Most of such removal is through lactate metabolism rather than excretion, although under conditions of marked hyperlactate...

Lactate is a potential energy source for the brain. The aim of this study was to establish whether systemic lactate is a brain energy source. We measured in vivo cerebral lactate kinetics and oxidation rates in 6 healthy individuals at rest with and without 90 mins of intravenous lactate infusion (36 mumol per kg bw per min), and during 30 mins of cycling exercise at 75% of maximal oxygen uptak...

Hypoxia and oncogene expression both stimulate glycolytic metabolism in tumors, thereby leading to lactate production. However, lactate is more than merely a by-product of glycolysis: it can be used as a metabolic fuel by oxidative cancer cells. This phenomenon resembles processes that have been described for skeletal muscle and brain that involve what are known as cell-cell and intracellular l...

UNLABELLED L-Lactic acid, one of the most important chiral molecules and organic acids, is produced via pyruvate from carbohydrates in diverse microorganisms catalyzed by an NAD+-dependent L-lactate dehydrogenase. Naturally, Escherichia coli does not produce L-lactate in noticeable amounts, but can catabolize it via a dehydrogenation reaction mediated by an FMN-dependent L-lactate dehydrogenase...

To determine whether plasma lactate can be a significant fuel for human brain energy metabolism, infusions of [3-(13)C]lactate and (1)H-(13)C polarization transfer spectroscopy were used to detect the entry and utilization of lactate. During the 2 h infusion study, (13)C incorporation in the amino acid pools of glutamate and glutamine were measured with a 5 min time resolution. With a plasma co...

The decrease in plasma lactate during dichloroacetate (DCA) treatment is attributed to stimulation of lactate oxidation. To determine whether DCA also inhibits lactate production, we measured glucose metabolism in muscles of fed and fasted rats incubated with DCA and insulin. DCA increased glucose-6-phosphate, an allosteric modifier of glycogen synthase, approximately 50% and increased muscle g...