Glucose consumption in cultured corneal cells

The rate of glucose consumption in cultured epithelium, endothelium, and keratocytes was measured; and the effect of reduced glucose availability on the consumption rate of these three cell lines was delineated. All three cell types exhibited an asymptotic decrease of glucose over time while being incubated in Krebs-Ringers solutions of varying glucose concentrations. At a concentration resembling that of the aqueous, epithelium (EPI), endothelium (ENDO), and keratocytes (K) consumed 6.7, 7.4, and 9.0 micrograms/cm2/hr respectively. Each cell type consumed glucose at a rate that was related to the amount of available glucose. As glucose concentration was reduced from 90 to 30 mg%, which was a 66% reduction in available glucose, the consumption of EPI, ENDO, and K dropped 74%, 61%, and 44% respectively.