Compartmentalized Cerebral Metabolism of [1,6-13C]Glucose Determined by in vivo13C NMR Spectroscopy at 14.1 T
Open Access
- 1 January 2011
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Frontiers Media SA in Frontiers in Neuroenergetics
Abstract
Cerebral metabolism is compartmentalized between neurons and glia. Although glial glycolysis is thought to largely sustain the energetic requirements of neurotransmission while oxidative metabolism takes place mainly in neurons, this hypothesis is matter of debate. The compartmentalization of cerebral metabolic fluxes can be determined by 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy upon infusion of 13C-enriched compounds, especially glucose. Rats under light α-chloralose anesthesia were infused with [1,6-13C]glucose and 13C enrichment in the brain metabolites was measured by 13C NMR spectroscopy with high sensitivity and spectral resolution at 14.1 T. This allowed determining 13C enrichment curves of amino acid carbons with high reproducibility and to reliably estimate cerebral metabolic fluxes (mean error of 8%). We further found that TCA cycle intermediates are not required for flux determination in mathematical models of brain metabolism. Neuronal tricarboxylic acid cycle rate (VTCA) and neurotransmission rate (VNT) were 0.45 ± 0.01 and 0.11 ± 0.01 μmol/g/min, respectively. Glial VTCA was found to be 38 ± 3% of total cerebral oxidative metabolism, accounting for more than half of neuronal oxidative metabolism. Furthermore, glial anaplerotic pyruvate carboxylation rate (VPC) was 0.069 ± 0.004 μmol/g/min, i.e., 25 ± 1% of the glial TCA cycle rate. These results support a role of glial cells as active partners of neurons during synaptic transmission beyond glycolytic metabolism.Keywords
This publication has 59 references indexed in Scilit:
- The Contribution of Blood Lactate to Brain Energy Metabolism in Humans Measured by Dynamic13C Nuclear Magnetic Resonance SpectroscopyJournal of Neuroscience, 2010
- Evaluation of Cerebral Acetate Transport and Metabolic Rates in the Rat Brain in vivo Using 1H-[13C]-NMRJournal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism, 2010
- In vivoneurochemical profiling of rat brain by1H-[13C] NMR spectroscopy: cerebral energetics and glutamatergic/GABAergic neurotransmissionJournal of Neurochemistry, 2009
- The in vivo neuron‐to‐astrocyte lactate shuttle in human brain: evidence from modeling of measured lactate levels during visual stimulationJournal of Neurochemistry, 2009
- Acetate transport and utilization in the rat brainJournal of Neurochemistry, 2009
- Exchange‐mediated dilution of brain lactate specific activity: implications for the origin of glutamate dilution and the contributions of glutamine dilution and other pathwaysJournal of Neurochemistry, 2009
- Fast Isotopic Exchange between Mitochondria and Cytosol in Brain Revealed by Relayed 13C Magnetization Transfer SpectroscopyJournal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism, 2009
- Steady-state brain glucose transport kinetics re-evaluated with a four-state conformational modelFrontiers in Neuroenergetics, 2009
- Determination of the Glutamate—Glutamine Cycling Flux Using Two-Compartment Dynamic Metabolic Modeling is Sensitive to Astroglial DilutionJournal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism, 2008
- Supply and Demand in Cerebral Energy Metabolism: The Role of Nutrient TransportersJournal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism, 2007