Anomeric specificity of D‐glucose metabolism in rat adipocytes

Open Access
Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The anomeric specificity of D-glucose metabolism was investigated in rat adipocytes exposed for 60 min at 8°C to pure α- or β-D-glucose or to equilibrated D-glucose. The rate of D-[5-3H]glucose utilization was higher with α- than β-D-glucose. However, as judged from the oxidation of D-[1-14C]glucose and D-[6-14C]glucose anomers, the fraction of D-glucose catabolism occurring via the pentose cycle was higher with β- than α-D-glucose. In the presence of equilibrated D-glucose, the utilization of α-D-[5-3H]glucose and the oxidation of both α-D-[1-14C]glucose and α-D-[6-14C]glucose were higher, relative to the anomer concentration, than the corresponding values for β-D-glucose. It is concluded that the anomeric specificity of D-glucose metabolism is operative in adipocytes, even when they are exposed to equilibrated D-glucose.