Fluorodeoxyglucose uptake and glucose transporter expression in experimental inflammatory lesions and malignant tumours: effects of insulin and glucose loading

Abstract

The expression of glucose transporters (GLUTs) and its relationship to fluorodeoxyglucose accumulation in malignant tumours have been well investigated, while such a relation has not been studied in inflammatory lesions. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of insulin and glucose loading on the expression of GLUTs in inflammatory lesions and compare them with those in malignant tumours in relation to fluorodeoxyglucose accumulation. All tissue specimens used in this study were obtained in our previous study, in which rats were inoculated with allogenic hepatoma cells (KDH-8), Staphylococcus aureus, or turpentine oil into the left calf muscle and divided into three subgroups: insulin loaded, glucose loaded, and control groups. The expression of glucose transporters (GLUT-1 to GLUT-5) was investigated by immunostaining the lesions (n=5-6, for each group). In all control groups, the expression levels of GLUT-1 and GLUT-3 were significantly higher than those of GLUT-2, GLUT-4 and GLUT-5. Insulin loading did not significantly affect the expression levels of GLUT-1 and GLUT-3 in these lesions except for a significant but slight decrease in the GLUT-1 expression level in the inflammatory lesion of non-infectious origin (89% of the control value). Glucose loading significantly decreased the expression level of GLUT-1 in the inflammatory lesion of non-infectious origin (70% of the control value, P<0.01), and that of GLUT-3 in the inflammatory lesion of infectious origin (70% of the control value, P<0.05), while the expression levels of GLUT-1 and GLUT-3 in the tumour were not significantly affected. These results demonstrate the effects of insulin and glucose loading on the expression level of a molecule (GLUT proteins). The decreased GLUT-1 and GLUT-3 expression levels induced by glucose loading may partly explain the impaired FDG uptake observed in our previous study.

Fluorine-18 Fluorodeoxyglucose Uptake in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Correlation with Glucose Transporters and p53 Expression

“…These results are in agreement with the results obtained in a further study in which was used another HCC cell line. 27 It is noted that the glucose transporter more expressed at membrane are not always the most expressed at cytoplasm. In fact, some GLUTs have a low membrane expression with a remarkable cytoplasm expression (e.g.…”

Imaging Atherosclerotic Plaque Inflammation by Fluorodeoxyglucose With Positron Emission Tomography

“…In tumors, FDG accumulation is diminished during hyperglycemia (27), owing to direct competition between FDG and glucose for cellular entry. However, cell culture experiments suggest that moderate hyperglycemia, up to 250 mg/dl, does not adversely affect FDG uptake in inflammatory cells (28,29). Reproducibility of atheroma imaging with FDG is still likely to be worse in those with high blood sugar at the time of imaging compared with nomoglycemic subjects (30).…”

Performance of a 99mTc-labelled 1-thio-β-D-glucose 2,3,4,6-tetra-acetate analogue in the detection of infections and tumours in mice: a comparison with [18F]FDG

“…The success of increased [ 18 F]FDG accumulation by cardiac and tumour cells can be attributed to enhanced expression of glucose transporters (GLUTs) and/or increased glucose consumption and [ 18 F]FDG being a substrate for hexokinase facilitating intracellular trapping [1]. On account of the relative short half-life of 18 F (110 min), its use is limited to facilities that have a cyclotron in the vicinity of both chemistry laboratories and nuclear medicine departments [2].…”