Decrease of glucose utilization rate in the spinal cord of experimental 2,5-hexanedione poisoning rats: application of microdetermination technique

To examine the effects of 2,5-hexanedione (HD) on the glucose metabolism in the spinal cord, glucose utilization rate (GUR) and distribution volume of glucose (DV) were measured in the white matter and anterior horn of the spinal cord in 8 rats exposed to HD for 4 weeks and in 10 control rats. The GUR and DV were determined by the quantitative microdetermination method using non-tracer 2-deoxyglucose based on the three-compartments model of Sokoloff. GURs in the white matter and anterior horn and DV in the anterior horn in the HD-exposed rats were significantly lower than those in the control rats. In the multiple regression analysis, GUR in the white matter of HD-exposed rats was significantly related to blood HD concentration. It is suggested that the decrease of GUR in the white matter is a major effect of HD in the spinal cord.