Increased myocardial fat supply improves cardiac energetics and function in heart failure
Authors: Watson W , Green P.G , Neubauer S , Rider O.J 
Published: November 2020

Introduction

The failing heart is starved of energy, in part accounting for its contractile dysfunction. Reduced uptake of fat and sugar required for energy production has frequently been demonstrated in heart failure, therefore altering metabolism of glucose and/or fat is therefore attractive as a therapy. We hypothesized increasing glucose supply would be beneficial over increasing fat supply so measured ATP usage (via PCr/ATP ratio and flux through creatine kinase) and cardiac function during fat emulsion infusion or euglycaemic hyperinsulinaemic clamp.

Methods

11 patients with a diagnosis of heart failure and nonischaemic cardiomyopathy were recruited, mean age 66 (range 49–80), mean BMI 27.7 (range 21.3–37.5), F:M 3:8, 3 diabetic and 8 non-diabetic. On the first visit they had a baseline cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR), collecting cardiac volumes and function, then were randomised to receive either fat infusion or euglycaemic clamp. Following an hour of infusion, CMR was repeated followed by 31P cardiac magnetic resonance spectroscopy, then a dobutamine stress sequence at 65% maximum heart rate. They received the alternate infusion at the next visit.

Results

Data was normally distributed. Baseline ejection fraction was 37±9%.

PCr/ATP ratio was greater with the fat infusion compared to euglycaemic clamp (1.82±0.26 vs 1.68±0.24, p=0.04). Fat emulsion infusion also brought about a greater ejection fraction increase over the baseline, compared to the euglycaemic clamp in which there was little difference (+5.3±5.3% vs −0.6±3.1%, p=0.004). Calculated cardiac work was greater in the fat infusion group than the Insulin/glucose group (682±156 L.mmHg/min vs 581±85 L.mmHg/min, p=0.009).

There was no significant difference in creatine kinase first order rate constant (fat infusion 0.2±0.09/s vs euglycaemic clamp 0.16±0.07/s, p=0.32) nor creatine kinase flux (fat infusion 1.85±0.92 μmol/g/s vs euglycaemic clamp 1.46±0.58 μmol/g/s, p=0.22).

The increment in cardiac output on stress over baseline was not significantly different between arms (fat infusion +3.39±3.07 L/min vs euglycaemic clamp +3.08±2.57 L/min, p=0.42).

The PCr/ATP ratio showed positive correlation with the stress ejection fraction (R2=0.656, p=0.001), but not with resting ejection fraction.

Conclusions

Increased supply of fat to the myocardium brought about improved contractility and cardiac energetics compared to an increased glucose supply. The increase in PCr/ATP ratio would imply (given ATP concentrations are kept constant in the myocardium) there is a greater availability of phosphocreatine, suggesting increased mitochondrial ATP synthesis. These results were unexpected as it has traditionally been thought that increased glucose metabolism would yield greater cardiac function in the failing heart.

These data suggest targeting myocardial fat metabolism may provide novel treatments for cardiac dysfunction.

Figure 1

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding source: Foundation. Main funding source(s): British Heart Foundation