Fatty acid nitroalkenes induce resistance to ischemic cardiac injury by modulating mitochondrial respiration at complex II

• Nitro-oleic acid (OA-NO2) reversibly inhibits complex II-linked respiration.
• Nitrated fatty acid favor a switch from beta oxidation to glycolysis in cardiomyoblasts.
• Nitrated fatty acid induce cardioprotection in a heart ischemia/reperfusion model.

Nitro-fatty acids (NO2-FA) are metabolic and inflammatory-derived electrophiles that mediate pleiotropic signaling actions. It was hypothesized that NO2-FA would impact mitochondrial redox reactions to induce tissue-protective metabolic shifts in cells. Nitro-oleic acid (OA-NO2) reversibly inhibited complex II-linked respiration in isolated rat heart mitochondria in a pH-dependent manner and suppressed superoxide formation. Nitroalkylation of Fp subunit was determined by BME capture and the site of modification by OA-NO2 defined by mass spectrometric analysis. These effects translated into reduced basal and maximal respiration and favored glycolytic metabolism in H9C2 cardiomyoblasts as assessed by extracellular H+ and O2 flux analysis. The perfusion of NO2-FA induced acute cardioprotection in an isolated perfused heart ischemia/reperfusion (IR) model as evidenced by significantly higher rate-pressure products. Together these findings indicate that NO2-FA can promote cardioprotection by inducing a shift from respiration to glycolysis and suppressing reactive species formation in the post-ischemic interval.

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