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Abstract #3804

Ascorbic Acid Enhances Pyruvate Dehydrogenate Flux In Isolated Perfused Rat Lungs

Hoora Shaghaghi 1 , Stephen J. Kadlecek 1 , Sarmad Siddiqui 1 , Mehrdad Pourfathi 1 , Profka Harrilla 1 , and Rahim R. Rizi 1

1 Radiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Ascorbic acid is a first line pulmonary defense mechanism against endogenous and exogenous oxygen reactive species. As such, we investigated the effect of ascorbate on lung metabolic activity using hyperpolarized [1-13C] pyruvate. The bicarbonate signal significantly increased in the presence of ascorbate. Addition of N,N,N′,N′-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine(TMPD), a well-known compound used in electron transfer chain investigations, into the ascorbate-containing perfusate amplifies this enhancement. Since the reaction rate of ascorbate plus TMPD is 30 times faster than that of ascorbate alone, we concluded that the effect of ascorbate on PDH flux is a mitochondrial membrane linked effect.

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