Pulmonary metabolism during diving: conditioning blood for the brain.
During experimental diving by the awake Weddell seal, blood glucose concentration falls consistently. A large fraction of the glucose consumed from the central circulating blood appears as lactate. During diving, the lung utilizes blood lactate in preference to blood glucose as a source of both carbon and energy, and it is able to release glucose into pulmonary venous blood to supplement the supply available for brain metabolism.
D000818:Animals; D001775:Blood Circulation; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply / Q000378:metabolism*; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D004242:Diving; D007773:Lactates / Q000097:blood; D008168:Lung / Q000098:blood supply / Q000378:metabolism*; D011651:Pulmonary Artery; D011652:Pulmonary Circulation; D046048:Seals, Earless / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology
D001786:Blood Glucose; D007773:Lactates