The electrophysiological and hemodynamical effects of pyruvate on diabetic and control rat hearts

Background Pyruvate, as an end-product of glycolysis, might influence the electrophysiological parameters of the heart by several mechanisms: Pyruvate enhances the phosphorylating potency of the cytosol; it can facilitate the reduction of inorganic phosphate and finally can influence the cytoplasamatic redox state by decreasing the H+ concentration. According to the literature, pyruvate enhances the amplitude of the action potential (APA) and also reduces the duration of the action potential (APD); hereby, it might be used to enhance the contractility in case of heart failure. Our aim was to determine the electrophysiological and hemodynamical effects of pyruvate on diabetic and control rat hearts.