Summary: A six-compartment, nine-parameter kinetic model of 2-deoxyglucose (2DG) metabolism, which in cludes bidirectional tissue transport, phosphorylation, two-step dephosphorylation, phosphoisomerization, and conjugation to UDP and macromolecules, has been de rived. Data for analysis were obtained from 540-and 1,000-j.Lm-thick hippocampal and hypothalamic brain slices, which were incubated in buffer containing [14C]2DG, frozen, extracted with perchlorate, and sepa rated on anion-exchange columns. Solutions of the equa tions of the model were fit to the data by means of non linear least-squares analysis. These studies suggest that dephosphorylation is adequately described by a single re action so that the model reduces to eight parameters. The in vitro rate constants for transport, phosphorylation, and Regional mapping of brain metabolism permits correlation of behavior and physiology with ana tomically localized glucose or O2 consumption. Measurements of glucose and O2 metabolism, by autoradiography or with positron emission tomog raphy, have provided important insights into a wide variety of normal and pathological conditions in hu mans and experimental models.Radiolabeled 2-deoxyglucose (2DG) has an ad vantage over glucose as a radio tracer because 2DG is not metabolized by the Embden-Meyerhof path way, so loss of radiolabel as CO2 does not occur. Calculation of in vivo glucose utilization based upon measurement of tissue radioactivity after in jection of 2DG is possible with the kinetic theory and procedures described by Sokoloff et ai . (1977). Received September 27, 1989; revised December 21, 1989; ac cepted December 27, 1989. Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. G. C. Newman at Department of Neurology, HSC TI2-020, SUNY at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY 11794, U.S.A.Abbreviations used: 2DG, 2-deoxyglucose; ER, endoplasmic reticulum.
510dephosphorylation are very similar to prior in vivo re sults. The phosphoisomerization rate constant is similar to dephosphorylation, so glycosylated macromolecules slowly accumulate and gradually assume larger relative importance as other compounds disappear more rapidly. Rate constants for 540-j.Lm slices from hypothalamus and hippocampus are similar, while 1,000-j.Lm slices have smaller tissue transport constants and larger phosphory lation constants. The rate equation for glucose utilization of this model is relatively insensitive to uncertainties re garding the rate constants. Including later metabolic com ponents in kinetic models improves the calculations of glucose utilization with long isotope exposures.