Quantifying endogenous glucose production and contributing source fluxes from a single 2H NMR spectrum

Endogenous glucose production (EGP), gluconeogenic and glycogenolytic fluxes by analysis of a single ²H‐NMR spectrum is demonstrated with 6‐hr and 24‐hr fasted rats. Animals were administered [1‐²H, 1‐¹³C]glucose, a novel tracer of glucose turnover, and ²H₂O. Plasma glucose enrichment from both tracers was quantified by ²H‐NMR analysis of monoacetone glucose. The 6‐hr fasted group (n = 7) had EGP rates of 95.6 ± 13.3 μmol/kg/min, where 56.2 ± 7.9 μmol/kg/min were derived from PEP; 12.1 ± 2.1 μmol/kg/min from glycerol, and 32.1 ± 4.9 μmol/kg/min from glycogen. The 24‐hr fasted group (n = 7) had significantly lower EGP rates (52.8 ± 7.2 μmol/kg/min, P = 0.004 vs. 6 hr) mediated by a significantly reduced contribution from glycogen (4.7 ± 5.9 μmol/kg/min, P = 0.02 vs. 6 hr) while PEP and glycerol contributions were not significantly different (39.5 ± 3.9 and 8.5 ± 1.2 μmol/kg/min, respectively). These estimates agree with previous assays of EGP fluxes in fasted rats obtained by multinuclear NMR analyses of plasma glucose enrichment from ²H₂O and ¹³C‐glucose tracers. Magn Reson Med, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.