Effect of arterial PCO2 on 2-[1-14C]deoxy-D-glucose uptake by feline cerebral arteries

The effect of high and low arterial CO2 on the glucose utilization of nine major cerebral arteries was studied in cats anesthetized with pentothal using the quantitative 2-[1-14C]deoxy-D-glucose autoradiographic technique. All nine cerebral arteries from animals subjected to an arterial partial pressure of CO2 (PCO2) of 20 Torr utilized significantly more (P less than 0.025) glucose than the group subjected to an arterial PCO2 of 60 Torr. Mean relative glucose utilization of the 20-Torr PCO2 group was 105 +/- 9.5 mumol X 100g-1 X min-1 (+/- SE, n = 18) as compared with 49 +/- 6 mumol X 100g-1 X min-1 (+/- SE, n = 26) for the 60-Torr PCO2 group. This study demonstrates that blood vessels can be studied in vivo using the 2-[1-14C]deoxy-D-glucose autoradiographic technique. It also demonstrates that a physiological stimulus like CO2 can produce measurable changes in glucose utilization of cerebral arteries in vivo.