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Updated: Jun 14, 2026
Utilizing 18F-FDG PET/CT Imaging and Quantitative Histology to Measure Dynamic Changes in the Glucose Metabolism in Mouse Models of Lung Cancer
Published on: July 21, 2018
High 18F-FDG uptake in microscopic peritoneal tumors requires physiologic hypoxia
Xiao-Feng Li1, Yuanyuan Ma, Xiaorong Sun
1Department of Medical Physics, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, USA. xiao-feng.li@louisville.edu
Unlabelled:
The objective of this study was to examine (18)F-FDG uptake in microscopic tumors grown intraperitoneally in nude mice and to relate this to physiologic hypoxia and glucose transporter-1 (GLUT-1) expression.
Methods:
Human colon cancer HT29 and HCT-8 cells were injected intraperitoneally into nude mice to generate disseminated tumors of varying sizes. After overnight fasting, animals, breathing either air or carbogen (95% O(2) + 5% CO(2)), were intravenously administered (18)F-FDG together with the hypoxia marker pimonidazole and cellular proliferation marker bromodeoxyuridine 1 h before sacrifice. Hoechst 33342, a perfusion marker, was administered 1 min before sacrifice. After sacrifice, the intratumoral distribution of (18)F-FDG was assessed by digital autoradiography of frozen tissue sections. Intratumoral distribution was compared with the distributions of pimonidazole, GLUT-1 expression, bromodeoxyuridine, and Hoechst 33342 as visualized by immunofluorescent microscopy.
Results:
Small tumors (diameter, <1 mm) had high (18)F-FDG accumulation and were severely hypoxic, with high GLUT-1 expression. Larger tumors (diameter, 1-4 mm) generally had low (18)F-FDG accumulation and were not significantly hypoxic, with low GLUT-1 expression. Carbogen breathing significantly decreased (18)F-FDG accumulation and tumor hypoxia in microscopic tumors but had little effect on GLUT-1 expression.
Conclusion:
There was high (18)F-FDG uptake in microscopic tumors that was spatially associated with physiologic hypoxia and high GLUT-1 expression. This enhanced uptake was abrogated by carbogen breathing, indicating that in the absence of physiologic hypoxia, high GLUT-1 expression, by itself, was insufficient to ensure high (18)F-FDG uptake.
