Effects of acute hyperglycaemia stress on indices of glucose metabolism and glucose transporter genes expression in cobia ( Rachycentron canadum )

Abstract

The objective of the present study is to preliminarily clarify the mechanism of carbohydrates metabolism in cobia (Rachycentron canadum) (85 ± 3 g) receiving injection of glucose solution. We examined plasma glucose (GLU), total protein (TP), triglyceride (TG), cholesterol (CHOL), insulin, liver glycogen and muscle glycogen, activities of hepatic hexokinase (HK), phosphofructokinase (PFK) and pyruvate kinase (PK), as well as relative expressions of glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1), GLUT2, GLUT3, GLUT4, GLUT5 and GLUT9 in hemocyte, liver and muscle of R. canadum when fish were injected with 200 μl of glucose solution (255 mg/ml) after 0, 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, 24 and 48 hr. Fish received injection of 0.68% saline served as control. Results indicated that the plasma GLU, TG and CHOL increased and reached peak at 1, 8 and 48 hr postinjection (hpi) respectively. The hepatic glycogen increased from 1 hpi, and reached peak at 8 hpi, plasma insulin increased at 1 hpi, and reached peak at 2 hpi, and activity of hepatic PK peaked at 8 hpi. Furthermore, the relative expressions of GLUT1, GLUT2, GLUT3, GLUT4 and GLUT5 in hemocytes reached peak at 1,4, 8, 4 and 8 hpi, respectively, relative expressions of GLUT2, GLUT3, GLUT5 and GLUT9 in liver reached peak at 24, 24, 12 and 24 hpi, respectively, and relative expressions of GLUT1 and GLUT3 in muscle were significantly higher at 2 and 2–4 hpi, respectively compared with those in controls. In conclusion, low ability of utilizing glucose in R. canadum may be attributed to insufficient insulin secretion, low activities of key glycolytic enzymes (HK, PFK and PK) regulated by glucose injection and slow increase of GLUTs.