Activity of muscle cultures measured by 2-deoxyglucose uptake

Glucose consumption of skeletal muscle differentiated in vitro was studied under various experimental conditions by means of the [(3)H]deoxyglucose ([(3)H]DG) uptake technique. The results show that glucose uptake by skeletal muscle is a function of its activity; when the muscle is electrically stimulated to contract the uptake of [(3)H]DG is increased, and when spontaneous activity is inhibited, the uptake of [(3)H]DG is decreased. While electrical stimulation (ES) did not affect the uptake of 3-O-methyl-glucose (3-OMG), DG uptake was enhanced in spite of the presence of cycloheximide in electrically stimulated cultures, suggesting that muscle contraction probably activates the enzyme hexokinase. Thus our data show that the uptake of [(3)H]DG can be a tool for measuring muscle contraction.