The multifaceted role of lactate in cardiovascular health: from metabolism to signaling and epigenetics

TL;DR

Lactate is more than a waste product; it plays important roles in heart and blood vessel health through signaling and epigenetic changes.

Contribution

This review highlights lactate's multifaceted roles in cardiovascular health, particularly its epigenetic regulation via lactylation.

Findings

Lactate acts as a signaling molecule through HCAR1/GPR81 in cardiovascular processes.

Lactylation, a form of epigenetic regulation, is influenced by lactate and affects cardiovascular functions.

Lactate impacts energy production, angiogenesis, inflammation, and fibrosis in the cardiovascular system.

Abstract

Lactate, long regarded as a metabolic byproduct of anaerobic glycolysis, has emerged as a key regulator of cardiovascular health. Its roles extend beyond energy metabolism and include cell signaling through hydroxycarboxylic acid receptor 1 (HCAR1/GPR81) and epigenetic regulation via lactylation. These interconnected mechanisms influence diverse processes in the cardiovascular system such as energy production, angiogenesis, inflammation, and fibrosis. In this review we provide a chronological exploration of lactate’s functions, focusing on its role in cardiovascular physiology and with a particular emphasis on its role in epigenetics, highlighting the connecting points among these mechanisms and proposing areas for future research.

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