Effect of electrical stimulation patterns on glucose transport in rat muscles

Transport of 2-[3H]deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) was investigated during supramaximal stimulations of different muscles. In addition, we varied the net stimulation time (NST). In different treatments, NST occupied either 5, 7.5, 10, 15, 20, 30, or 50% of a 20-min stimulation period. After a bolus injection of 3H-labeled 2-DG, the greatest transport occurred in the extensor digitorum longus. In red gastrocnemius (RG; type IIa fibers) and white gastrocnemius (WG; type IIb fibers), the 2-DG transport rate was highest at 10% NST (8- to 12-fold increase) and decreased thereafter. In soleus (type I fibers), the 2-DG transport increased from 5 to 50% NST. Below 30% NST, 2-DG transport was greater in RG and WG muscles than in soleus (P < 0.05). GLUT-4 and 2-DG transport were not correlated during the contractions. Therefore, the percent NST affects 2-DG transport differentially in muscles of varying fiber types, and the transport rate is not related to the GLUT-4 content of the muscles.