Relationship between glucose oxidation and FFA concentration in septic cancer-bearing patients

Glucose oxidation is inhibited in severely ill patients. The present investigation was designed to study the relationship between glucose tissue uptake, glucose oxidation, and FFA concentration in septic cancer-bearing patients. The influence of glucose infusion alone (3.9 mg x kg-1 x min-1), followed by a euglycemic clamp with the same glucose load, on oxidation of glucose, plasma FFA concentration, and lipid oxidation were measured in eight septic cancer-bearing patients. During infusion of 3.9 mg glucose x kg-1 x min-1 glucose tissue uptake was 4.6 +/- 0.3 mg x kg-1 x min-1, glucose oxidation 0.5 +/- 0.2 mg x kg-1 x min-1, FFA concentration 377 +/- 52 mumol x L-1, and lipid oxidation 2.0 +/- 0.2 mumol x kg-1 x min-1. During the euglycemic clamp glucose tissue uptake was 4.4 +/- 0.3 mg x kg-1 x min-1, glucose oxidation rose to 1.8 mg x kg-1 x min-1 (.001 less than P less than .01), FFA concentration dropped to 202 +/- 23 mumol x L-1 (P less than .001), and lipid oxidation to 1.2 +/- 0.2 mumol x kg-1 x min-1 (.001 less than P less than .01). Nonprotein respiratory quotient rose from 0.73 +/- 0.02 to 0.85 +/- 0.02 (.001 less than P less than .01); 11% +/- 5% of the total amount of glucose taken up by the tissues was oxidized during infusion of glucose alone and increased to 42% +/- 6% during the euglycemic glucose clamp. It is concluded that in septic cancer-bearing patients glucose oxidation is inhibited during infusion of 3.9 mg glucose x kg-1 x min-1, even when expressed as percentage of glucose tissue uptake. With insulin, glucose tissue uptake was not influenced, but glucose oxidation expressed as percentage of glucose tissue uptake was normalized.