Dolinsky, Vernon W., and Jason R. B. Dyck. Role of AMP-activated protein kinase in healthy and diseased hearts. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 291: H2557-H2569, 2006. First published July 14, 2006 doi:10.1152/ajpheart.00329.2006.-The heart is capable of utilizing a variety of substrates to produce the necessary ATP for cardiac function. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) has emerged as a key regulator of cellular energy homeostasis and coordinates multiple catabolic and anabolic pathways in the heart. During times of acute metabolic stresses, cardiac AMPK activation seems to be primarily involved in increasing energy-generating pathways to maintain or restore intracellular ATP levels. In acute situations such as mild ischemia or short durations of severe ischemia, activation of cardiac AMPK appears to be necessary for cardiac myocyte function and survival by stimulating ATP generation via increased glycolysis and accelerated fatty acid oxidation. Whereas AMPK activation may be essential for adaptation of cardiac energy metabolism to acute and/or minor metabolic stresses, it is unknown whether AMPK activation becomes maladaptive in certain chronic disease states and/or extreme energetic stresses. However, alterations in cardiac AMPK activity are associated with a number of cardiovascular-related diseases such as pathological cardiac hypertrophy, myocardial ischemia, glycogen storage cardiomyopathy, and Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, suggesting the possibility of a maladaptive role. Although the precise role AMPK plays in the diseased heart is still in question, it is clear that AMPK is a major regulator of cardiac energy metabolism. The consequences of alterations in AMPK activity and subsequent cardiac energy metabolism in the healthy and the diseased heart will be discussed. ischemia; cardiac hypertrophy; cardiac energy metabolism; glycogen THE HEART is capable of utilizing a variety of substrates to meet its immense demand for energy. Under normal physiological circumstances, cardiac function is dependent on the production of intracellular ATP derived primarily by the utilization of fatty acids, glucose, and lactate (123). A variety of transport proteins and regulatory enzymes control the uptake and subsequent metabolism of these energy substrates. Whereas many of these enzymes are regulated through substrate supply and/or energy demand, covalent modification of a number of these enzymes is also important. These regulatory mechanisms mediate substrate utilization and are essential for proper cardiac function.Fatty acids provide a concentrated supply of energy accounting for ϳ50 -75% of the myocardial acetyl CoA-derived ATP (84). Upon entering the cardiac myocyte, fatty acids are transported into the mitochondria and undergo -oxidation to produce acetyl CoA that is eventually used to produce ATP. Glucose is transported into the cell via glucose transporters (GLUT) and can undergo glycolytic metabolism to generate pyruvate and ATP. This can occur in the absence of oxygen while still producing ATP. However, i...