The Meyerhof quotient and the synthesis of glycogen from lactate in frog and rabbit muscle

Abstract

1. The conversion of lactate into glycogen was demonstrated in frog sartorius muscle in oxygen. The rates and amounts are highest when lactate is added to the bathing medium and are dependent on lactate and CO(2) concentration, as well as pH. The glycogen content of a resting muscle can be doubled in 4h at 24 degrees C. 2. Sartorius muscle, recovering aerobically in liquid paraffin from a period of anoxia, converts preformed lactate into glycogen at a lower rate and in smaller amounts than when lactate is added in an aqueous medium. The lower rates are similar to those Meyerhof found under the same conditions, after correction for temperature; they can be attributed partly to low muscle pH and partly to the limited amounts of lactate present. 3. Rabbit psoas muscle also shows the ability to convert added lactate into glycogen under aerobic conditions. The rates are low and similar to those in frog sartorius muscle recovering from anoxia. 4. The present experiments yield a Meyerhof quotient of 6.2, compared with Meyerhof's value of 4-5. However, these values are not significantly different from one another. 5. It is suggested that the glycogen coefficient, i.e. mol of glycogen formed/mol of lactate disappearing, is a more reliable way of assessing the resynthetic mechanism than the original quotient, i.e. mol of lactate disappearing/mol of lactate oxidized. The found coefficient is 0.419+/-0.024.