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Updated: May 26, 2026

Glucose Uptake Measurement and Response to Insulin Stimulation in In Vitro Cultured Human Primary Myotubes
Published on: June 25, 2017
Measurement of glucose uptake in cultured cells
Norio Yamamoto1, Manabu Ueda, Takuya Sato
1Food Science Research Center, House Wellness Foods Corporation, Hyogo, Japan.
Abstract:
Facilitative glucose uptake transport systems are ubiquitous in animal cells and responsible for transporting glucose across the cell surface membrane. Evaluation of glucose uptake is crucial in the study of numerous diseases and metabolic disorders, such as myocardial ischemia, diabetes mellitus, and cancer. Methods for assessing glucose uptake into mammalian cells are detailed in this unit. The work is divided into four sections: (1) a brief overview of glucose uptake assays in cultured cells; (2) a method for measuring glucose uptake using radiolabeled 3-O-methylglucose; (3) a method for measuring glucose uptake using radiolabeled 2-deoxyglucose (2DG); and (4) an improved method for measuring 2DG-uptake using an enzymatic, fluorometric assay, eliminating the need for radiolabeled glucose analogs.

