Uptake of 1-deoxy-1-[125I]iodo-D-mannoheptulose by different cell types: in vitro and in vivo experiments.

D-mannoheptulose was recently proposed as a tool to label preferentially insulin-producing cells in the pancreatic gland in the perspective of the non-invasive imaging of the endocrine pancreas. In such a perspective, we have now synthesized 1-deoxy-1-[125I]iodo-D-mannoheptulose ([125I]MH) and examined its uptake by different rat cell types. No phosphorylation of [125I]MH by bovine heart hexokinase could be detected. The apparent distribution space of [125I]MH largely exceeded that of [U-14C]sucrose, considered as an extracellular marker, in erythrocytes, parotid cells, hepatocytes, pancreatic pieces and isolated pancreatic islets. Relative to the mean intracellular distribution space of 3HOH, that of [125I]MH was not significantly different in pancreatic pieces from either normal rats or streptozotocin-induced diabetic animals (STZ rats). In pancreatic islets, the uptake of [125I]MH was decreased at low temperature, but failed to be significantly affected by cytochalasin B. Sixty min after the intravenous injection of [125I]MH, the radioactive content of selected organs displayed the following hierarchy: muscle<pancreas<liver<parotid<kidney<plasma. In this respect, there was no obvious difference between control and STZ rats. Taken as a whole, these findings suggest that 1-deoxy-1-[125I]iodo-D-mannoheptulose does not display the same specificity towards GLUT2, as that previously documented in the case of D-[3H]- mannoheptulose.