Cited by 724Cancer, Hypoxia, and MetabolismMetabolism, Diabetes, and CancerAdipose Tissue and Metabolism

Lactate as a fulcrum of metabolism

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Brooks, George A.·2020·Redox Biology

Abstract

Mistakenly thought to be the consequence of oxygen lack in contracting skeletal muscle we now know that the L-enantiomer of the lactate anion is formed under fully aerobic conditions and is utilized continuously in diverse cells, tissues, organs and at the whole-body level. By shuttling between producer (driver) and consumer (recipient) cells lactate fulfills at least three purposes: 1] a major energy source for mitochondrial respiration; 2] the major gluconeogenic precursor; and 3] a signaling molecule. Working by mass action, cell redox regulation, allosteric binding, and reprogramming of chromatin by lactylation of lysine residues on histones, lactate has major influences in energy substrate partitioning. The physiological range of tissue [lactate] is 0.5-20 mM and the cellular Lactate/Pyruvate ratio (L/P) can range from 10 to >500; these changes during exercise and other stress-strain responses dwarf other metabolic signals in magnitude and span. Hence, lactate dynamics have rapid and major short- and long-term effects on cell redox and other control systems. By inhibiting lipolysis in adipose via HCAR-1, and muscle mitochondrial fatty acid uptake via malonyl-CoA and CPT1, lactate controls energy substrate partitioning. Repeated lactate exposure from regular exercise results in major effects on the expression of regulatory enzymes of glycolysis and mitochondrial respiration. Lactate is the fulcrum of metabolic regulation in vivo.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.redox.2020.101454

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  1. [24]Brooks G.A. Brown M.A. Butz C.E. Sicurello J.P. Dubouchaud H. Cardiac and skeletal muscle mitochondria have a monocarboxylate transporter MCT1 J. Appl. Physiol. 87 1999 1713 1718 10562613
  2. [77]Hashimoto T. Tsukamoto H. Takenaka S. Olesen N.D. Petersen L.G. Sorensen H. Nielsen H.B. Secher N.H. Ogoh S. Maintained exercise-enhanced brain executive function related to cerebral lactate metabolism in men Faseb. J. 32 2018 1417 1427 29127193

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Authors
Brooks, G. A.
Affiliations
University of California, Berkeley (US)
Corresponding author
Brooks, George A.
Venue
Redox Biology
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2020-08
Volume
35
Pages
101454
ISSN
2213-2317 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W3005469631
Cited by
724
References
172
Citations by year
2026: 112 · 2025: 168 · 2024: 158 · 2023: 99 · 2022: 102 · 2021: 61 · 2020: 22 · 2019: 1
FWCI
7.23
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Redox Biology (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
  • eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
Funders
National Institutes of Health (1 R01 AG059715-01, 3-02-Brooks-17)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cancer Research › Cancer, Hypoxia, and Metabolism
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Metabolism, Diabetes, and Cancer
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Adipose Tissue and Metabolism
Keywords
lactate, L-lactate, lactate shuttle, gluconeogenesis, lactate signaling, histone lactylation, redox regulation, mitochondrial respiration, glycolysis, lipolysis, malonyl-CoA, carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1, physical activity, skeletal muscle, adipose tissue
MeSH terms
Energy Metabolism, Glycolysis, Mitochondria, Oxidation-Reduction, Muscle, Skeletal, Lactic Acid

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