200th Anniversary of Lactate Research in Muscle

In Brief This year, 2008, marks the bicentennial of research into lactate metabolism in muscle. Berzelius linked lactate accumulation to exercise in 1807/1808 when he noted the presence of lactate in the muscles of "hunted stags." Today, the exact mechanism of intramuscular lactate oxidation and the relationship of lactate dehydrogenase to mitochondria remain unresolved as animated debate surrounds the intracellular lactate shuttle. After 200 years of research, controversy surrounds the exact mechanism of intramuscular lactate oxidation and the role of lactate dehydrogenase.