Metabolism of 2-[18F]fluoro-2-deoxyglucose in tumor-bearing rats: chromatographic and enzymatic studies.

The activities of hexokinase and glucose-6-phosphatase, as well as the in vivo metabolic products of 2-[18F]fluoro-2-deoxyglucose ([18F]FDG) (45 min after an i.v. injection), were determined from several tissues of Rous sarcoma implanted rats. The HK/G-6-Pase ratio was found to be high in brain and tumor, and low in liver with intermediate values for kidney and muscle. In accordance with the measured enzyme activities about 90% of the 18F was found as [18F]FDG-6-P in brain, heart and tumor, whereas most of its was as [18F]FDG in liver and kidney. In addition three minor metabolites, tentatively identified as nucleotide-derivatives of [18F]FDG, were formed. Our results suggest that at least Rous sarcoma tumor effectively converts [18F]FDG to [18F]FDG-6-P and thus PET studies with [18F]FDG can be applied to tumor diagnosis and to quantitative measurement of glucose utilization in tumor tissue according to the model of Sokoloff.