Use of 14CO2 in estimating rates of hepatic gluconeogenesis

Estimating the rate of hepatic gluconeogenesis in vivo from the incorporation of 14C from 14CO2 into glucose requires determination of the rates in liver of equilibration of oxaloacetate with fumarate, conversion of oxaloacetate to phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP), and conversion of PEP to pyruvate, all relative to the rate of tricarboxylic acid cycle flux. With the use of a model of mitochondrial metabolism and gluconeogenesis, expressions are derived relating specific activity of carboxyl of PEP from 14CO2 to those rates and specific activity of mitochondrial CO2. If those rates and specific activity of mitochondrial CO2 are known, specific activity of PEP, calculated using the expressions, should, on a mole basis, be one-half the specific activity of the glucose formed. At steady state, in the 60-h fasted individual, where glucose formation is solely by gluconeogenesis, twice estimated specific activity of PEP should then approximate that of blood glucose. Estimates of relative rates in 60-h fasted humans, previously made from distribution of 14C in glutamate from phenylacetylglutamine excreted when [3-14C]lactate and phenylacetate were given, were applied to the expressions. Specific activity of mitochondrial CO2 was equated to that of CO2 expired by 60-h fasted subjects given NaH14CO3 and alpha-[1-14C]ketoisocaproate. Predicted specific activities approximated actual specific activities of blood glucose when NaH14CO3 was administered. alpha-[1-14C]ketoisocaproate administrations gave underestimates. This is attributable to differences between specific activities of hepatic mitochondrial CO2 and expired CO2, which is evidenced by higher incorporations of 14C in glucose than in expired CO2 from alpha-[1-14C]ketoisocaproate than from NaH14CO3.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)