Human mitochondrial oxidative capacity is acutely impaired after burn trauma.
BACKGROUND
Mitochondrial proteins and genes are damaged after burn injury in animals and are assessed in human burn patients in this study.


METHODS
The rates of maximal muscle mitochondrial oxidative capacity (adenosine triphosphate production) and uncoupled oxidation (heat production) for both palmitate and pyruvate were measured in muscle biopsies from 40 children sustaining burns on more than 40% of their body surface area and from 13 healthy children controls.


RESULTS
Maximal mitochondrial oxidation of pyruvate and palmitate were reduced in burn patients compared with controls (4.0 +/- .2:1.9 +/- .1 micromol O2/citrate synthase activity/mg protein/min pyruvate; control:burn; P < .001 and 3.0 +/- .1: .9 +/- .03 micromol O2/citrate synthase activity/mg protein/min palmityl CoA; control:burn; P = .003). Uncoupled oxidation was the same between groups.


CONCLUSIONS
The maximal coupled mitochondrial oxidative capacity is severely impaired after burn injury, although there are no alterations in the rate of uncoupled oxidative capacity. It may be that the ratio of these indicates that a larger portion of energy production in trauma patients is wasted through uncoupling, rather than used for healing.
Cree
Melanie G
MG
Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA.
Fram
Ricki Y
RY
Herndon
David N
DN
Qian
Ting
T
Angel
Carlos
C
Green
Justin M
JM
Mlcak
Ronald
R
Aarsland
Asle
A
Wolfe
Robert R
RR
D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D001706:Biopsy; D002056:Burns / Q000378:metabolism*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010168:Palmitates / Q000378:metabolism; D011446:Prospective Studies; D019289:Pyruvic Acid / Q000378:metabolism
D010168:Palmitates; D019289:Pyruvic Acid; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate