Oxidation of glucose, glutamate, and glutamine by isolated ovine enterocytes in vitro is decreased by the presence of other metabolic fuels.

The objective of this study was to evaluate oxidative metabolism of glucose, glutamate, and glutamine by isolated ovine enterocytes in the presence of other metabolic fuels in vitro. A mixed mucosal primary cell culture containing enterocytes was isolated from crossbred wether sheep (n = 6) fed a mixed forage-concentrate diet and incubated for 90 min with 1 mM U-14C-glucose, -glutamate, or -glutamine and additional substrates (water as negative control, acetate, propionate, butyrate, glucose, glutamate, or glutamine) at concentrations of 0.1, 1.0, and 10.0 mM. Oxidation of labeled substrates to CO2 and net production of lactate and pyruvate in incubation media were measured. Oxidation of glucose and glutamine to CO2 was decreased (P < 0.05) by 5 to 40% in the presence of additional substrates except acetate. Our observation that glutamine oxidation can be decreased by the presence of additional substrates is contrary to observations in the literature using enterocytes from nonruminants, indicating that ruminant enterocytes might rely on glutamine to a lesser extent as an energy source. Net glucose utilization was decreased (P < 0.05) 16% by propionate (10 mM) compared with control but was not affected by the other additional substrates. Glutamate oxidation to CO2 was decreased 28% (P < 0.05) in the presence of propionate (10 mM) or by 17 and 33% in the presence of glutamine (1.0 and 10 mM, respectively), but not by that of the other additional substrates. Acetate did not affect the oxidation of glucose, glutamate, and glutamine. Propionate decreased (P < 0.05) the oxidation of glucose and glutamate only at the highest concentration (10 mM), indicating that the sparing effects of propionate on substrate oxidation are affected by its concentration in the incubation media. These observations indicate that ruminant enterocytes possess metabolic flexibility for oxidative metabolism of glucose, glutamine, and glutamate depending on the type and concentration of available additional substrates.