Evaluation of three isotope-dilution techniques for studying the kinetics of glucose metabolism in sheep.

1. Comparisons have been made of three isotope-dilution techniques for measuring parameters of glucose metabolism in sheep given their daily ration in 12 equal amounts (i.e. from 07.00 to 18.00hr.) 2. [U-(14)C]Glucose was used in all experiments. After a single injection the specific radioactivity of plasma glucose was measured at specific times for up to 24hr. Primed infusions were made with various ratios of P, priming injection (nc), to F, infusion rate (nc/min.) (P/F ratios varying from 23:1 to 147:1) and the specific radioactivity of plasma glucose was measured at 60, 120, 150, 180, 210 and 240min. In continuous infusions the specific radioactivity of plasma glucose was followed for 9hr.; a constant specific radioactivity was observed after approximately 180min. 3. A computer programme was used to fit a multi-exponential equation to the log(specific radioactivity)-time curve after a single injection. A second- or third-order exponential equation was found to fit the results. 4. Conventional analyses of all results showed that similar estimates of the irreversible loss of glucose were obtained by using all three techniques. Estimates of glucose pool size and space by using the primed infusion technique were both significantly higher than estimates obtained by the single injection technique. In these experiments total entry rate could only be determined from the single-injection results and a wide variation in estimates was obtained. 5. Comparisons of the specific radioactivity-time relationships after a single injection of [U-(14)C]glucose in sheep given their ration either once daily or as a proportion at hourly intervals indicated that there were fluctuations in glucose synthesis in the former over the period of the experiment. The multi-exponential curves fitted to these results had larger residual variances than in sheep given food at hourly intervals. All parameters of glucose metabolism estimated were similar under both feeding regimes. 6. A number of methods of analysis are discussed and a model for glucose metabolism in sheep in suggested.