In: Other
In 2017, it was discovered that naked mole rats (Heterocephalus glaber) could survive up to 18 minutes in an anoxic (0% oxygen) environment without any permanent damage to the organism. The normal body temperature of naked mole rats is 30°C, making them poikilothermic animals that are able to operate at a range of body temperatures and to alter its body temperature based upon the environment. Even if the animals are warmed to 37°C, they still survive 6 minutes in an anoxic environment, which is still more than 5 minutes longer than the survival of other rodents like mice. You are already familiar with the H. glaber hemoglobin, but as usual, this does not fully explain the naked mole rat ability to survive anoxia.
Blood glucose concentrations during anoxia were found to be
similar in mice and mole rats, but during normoxic (normal oxygen
levels) conditions, naked mole rate had a blood glucose
concentration of 3.49mM while mice had 6.66mM, making them appear
hypoglycemic compared to other rodents and mammals.
Explain why elevated citrate levels are surprising, why lactate
elevation is not, and why these elevated levels of citrate do not
inhibit lactate production in the naked mole rat during anoxia.