Correlation between glucose utilization and metabolite levels during focal ischemia in cat brain

Focal ischemia was produced in cat brain by occluding the middle cerebral artery. After 60 min of ischemia the rate of glucose utilization, as measured by the uptake of [14C] deoxyglucose ([14C]DG), was correlated with tissue levels of ATP, phosphocreatine, and lactate measured in the same regional samples. Ischemia caused local increases of [14C]DG uptake which were associated with mild to moderate anaerobic perturbations of metabolite levels. Altered metabolite levels also occurred in regions in which the rate of glucose consumption was not markedly different from that of the non-ischemic hemipshere. In addition, there were regions with decreased [14C] DG uptake which invariably were depleted of ATP and phosphocreatine. Thus, suppression of glucose metabolism was restricted to the most severely ischemic areas, where the delivery of glucose may be rate-limiting.