Investigation of metabolic kinetics in different brain regions of awake rats using the [H-C]-NMR technique.

Energy metabolism and neurotransmission are necessary for sustaining normal life activities. Hence, neurological or psychiatric disorders are always associated with changes in neurotransmitters and energy metabolic states in the brain. Most studies have only focused on the most important neurotransmitters, particularly GABA and Glu, however, other metabolites such as NAA and aspartate which are also very important for cerebral function are rarely investigated. In this study, most of the metabolic kinetics information of different brain regions was investigated in awake rats using the [H-C]-NMR technique. Briefly, rats (n = 8) were infused [1-C] glucose through the tail vein for two minutes. After 20 min of glucose metabolism, the animals were sacrificed and the brain tissue was extracted and treated. Utilizing the H observed/C-edited nuclear magnetic resonance (POCE-NMR), the enrichment of neurochemicals was detected which reflected the metabolic changes in different brain regions and the metabolic connections between neurons and glial cells in the brain. The results suggest that the distribution of every metabolite differed from every brain region and the metabolic rate of NAA was relatively low at 8.64 ± 2.37 μmol/g/h. In addition, there were some correlations between several C enriched metabolites, such as Glu-Gln (p = 0.062), Glu-GABA (p < 0.01), Glx-Glx (p < 0.001), Asp-NAA (p < 0.001). This correlativity reflects the signal transmission between astrocytes and neurons, as well as the potential interaction between energy metabolism and neurotransmission. In conclusion, the current study systematically demonstrated the metabolic kinetics in the brain which shed light on brain functions and the mechanisms of various pathophysiological states.