Uptake of 18F-labeled 6-fluoro-6-deoxy-D-glucose by skeletal muscle is responsive to insulin stimulation
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Updated: Jun 23, 2026

Measurement of Insulin- and Contraction-Stimulated Glucose Uptake in Isolated and Incubated Mature Skeletal Muscle from Mice
Published on: May 16, 2021
Chandra Spring-Robinson1, Visvanathan Chandramouli, William C Schumann
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, University Hospitals Case Medical Center, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
Unlabelled:
We are developing a methodology for the noninvasive imaging of glucose transport in vivo with PET and (18)F-labeled 6-fluoro-6-deoxy-d-glucose ((18)F-6FDG), a tracer that is transported but not phosphorylated. To validate the method, we evaluated the biodistribution of (18)F-6FDG to test whether it is consistent with the known properties of glucose transport, particularly with regard to insulin stimulation of glucose transport.
Methods:
Under glucose clamp conditions, rats were imaged at the baseline and under conditions of hyperinsulinemia.
Results:
The images showed that the radioactivity concentration in skeletal muscle was higher in the presence of insulin than at the baseline. We also found evidence that the metabolism of (18)F-6FDG was negligible in several tissues.
Conclusion:
(18)F-6FDG is a valid tracer that can be used in in vivo transport studies. PET studies performed under glucose clamp conditions demonstrated that the uptake of nonphosphorylated glucose transport tracer (18)F-6FDG is sensitive to insulin stimulation.
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