Fate of uniformly labelled 14C glucose in brain slices

Abstract

Abstract The fate of uniformly labelled 14C glucose in rat-brain slices has been followed by a quantitative application of the radio paper-chromatography technique. After 60 min incubation with brain tissue approximately 60% of the glucose disappearing from the medium was accounted for as lactic acid, about 20% as CO2 and most of the remainder as free amino-acids. Of the total glucose metabolized approximately 9% was converted into glutamic acid, 1.5% alanine, 3% γ-amino-butyric acid and 2.4% aspartic acid. Glutamic acid was the first of the amino-acids to be formed from glucose, and was detectable after 3 min incubation of brain tissue with 14C glucose. Insulin had no effect on glucose metabolism in brain slices. Under anaerobic conditions the total glucose metabolized by brain slices was only about 10% of that found under aerobic conditions; of the total glucose disappearing from the medium anaerobically about 80% was accounted for as lactic acid and the remainder as free unchanged glucose in the tissue cells.