Assessment of mitochondrial ADP-stimulated respiratory kinetics in PmFBs (permeabilized fibre bundles) is increasingly used in clinical diagnostic and basic research settings. However, estimates of the K_m for ADP vary considerably (~20–300 μM) and tend to overestimate respiration at rest. Noting that PmFBs spontaneously contract during respiration experiments, we systematically determined the impact of contraction, temperature and oxygenation on ADP-stimulated respiratory kinetics. BLEB (blebbistatin), a myosin II ATPase inhibitor, blocked contraction under all conditions and yielded high K_m values for ADP of >~250 and ~80 μM in red and white rat PmFBs respectively. In the absence of BLEB, PmFBs contracted and the K_m for ADP decreased ~2–10-fold in a temperature-dependent manner. PmFBs were sensitive to hyperoxia (increased K_m) in the absence of BLEB (contracted) at 30 °C but not 37 °C. In PmFBs from humans, contraction elicited high sensitivity to ADP (K_m<100 μM), whereas blocking contraction (+BLEB) and including a phosphocreatine/creatine ratio of 2:1 to mimic the resting energetic state yielded a K_m for ADP of ~1560 μM, consistent with estimates of in vivo resting respiratory rates of <1% maximum. These results demonstrate that the sensitivity of muscle to ADP varies over a wide range in relation to contractile state and cellular energy charge, providing evidence that enzymatic coupling of energy transfer within skeletal muscle becomes more efficient in the working state.

Mitochondria generate and maintain a redox or “electrical” charge that is distributed throughout cells. The current work identifies a redox mechanism by which energy balance is continuously sensed and coupled to compensatory changes in energy expenditure.

Oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) efficiency, defined as the ATP-to-O ratio, is a critical feature of mitochondrial function that has been implicated in health, aging, and disease. To date, however, the methods to measure ATP/O have primarily relied on indirect approaches or entail parallel rather than simultaneous determination of ATP synthesis and O₂ consumption rates. The purpose of this project was to develop and validate an approach to determine the ATP/O ratio in permeabilized fiber bundles (PmFBs) from simultaneous measures of ATP synthesis ( J_ATP) and O₂ consumption ( JO₂) rates in real time using a custom-designed apparatus. JO₂ was measured via a polarigraphic oxygen sensor and J_ATP via fluorescence using an enzyme-linked assay system (hexokinase II, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase) linked to NADPH production. Within the dynamic linear range of the assay system, ADP-stimulated increases in steady-state J_ATP mirrored increases in steady-state JO₂ ( r² = 0.91, P < 0.0001, n = 57 data points). ATP/O ratio was less than one under low rates of respiration (15 μM ADP) but increased to more than two at moderate (200 μM ADP) and maximal (2,000 μM ADP) rates of respiration with an interassay coefficient of variation of 24.03, 16.72, and 11.99%, respectively. Absolute and relative (to mechanistic) ATP/O ratios were lower in PmFBs (2.09 ± 0.251, 84%) compared with isolated mitochondria (2.44 ± 0.124, 98%). ATP/O ratios in PmFBs were not affected by the activity of adenylate kinase or creatine kinase. These findings validate an enzyme-linked respiratory clamp system for measuring OXPHOS efficiency in PmFBs and provide evidence that OXPHOS efficiency increases as energy demand increases.

Studies in experimental models suggest that n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) improve metabolic and anti-inflammatory/antioxidant capacity of the heart, although the mechanisms are unclear and translational evidence is lacking. In this study, patients ingested a moderately high dose of n-3 PUFAs (3.4 g/day eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and doxosahexaenoic acid (DHA) ethyl-esters) for a period of 2–3 weeks before having elective cardiac surgery. Blood was obtained before treatment and at the time of surgery, and myocardial tissue from the right atrium was also dissected during surgery. Blood EPA levels increased and myocardial tissue EPA and DHA levels were significantly higher in n-3 PUFA-treated patients compared with untreated, standard-of-care control patients. Interestingly, n-3 PUFA patients had greater nuclear transactivation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ), fatty acid metabolic gene expression, and enhanced mitochondrial respiration supported by palmitoyl-carnitine in the atrial myocardium, despite no difference in mitochondrial content. Myocardial tissue from n-3 PUFA patients also displayed greater expression and activity of key antioxidant/anti-inflammatory enzymes. These findings lead to our hypothesis that PPARγ activation is a mechanism by which fish oil n-3 PUFAs enhance mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation and antioxidant capacity in human atrial myocardium, and that this preoperative therapeutic regimen may be optimal for mitigating oxidative/inflammatory stress associated with cardiac surgery. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 21, 1156–1163.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are biomarkers and modifiers of human disease. EVs secreted by insulin-responsive tissues like skeletal muscle (SkM) and white adipose tissue (WAT) contribute to metabolic health and disease but the relative abundance of EVs from these tissues has not been directly examined. Human Protein Atlas data and directly measuring EV secretion in mouse SkM and WAT using an ex vivo tissue explant model confirmed that SkM tissue secretes more EVs than WAT. Differences in EV secretion between SkM and WAT were not due to SkM contraction but may be explained by differences in tissue metabolic capacity. We next examined how many EVs secreted from SkM tissue ex vivo and in vivo are myofiber-derived. To do this, a SkM myofiber-specific dual fluorescent reporter mouse was created. Spectral flow cytometry revealed that SkM myofibers are a major source of SkM tissue-derived EVs ex vivo and EV immunocapture indicates that ∼5% of circulating tetraspanin-positive EVs are derived from SkM myofibers in vivo. Our findings demonstrate that 1) SkM secretes more EVs than WAT, 2) many SkM tissue EVs are derived from SkM myofibers, and 3) SkM myofiber-derived EVs reach the circulation in vivo. These findings advance our understanding of EV secretion between metabolically active tissues and provide direct evidence that SkM myofibers secrete EVs that can reach the circulation in vivo.