Metabolic flux analysis of neural cell metabolism in primary cultures

Abstract

Brain energy metabolism results from a complex group of pathways and trafficking mechanisms between all cellular components in the brain, and importantly provides the energy for sustaining most brain functions. In recent decades, 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and metabolic modelling tools allowed quantifying the main cerebral metabolic fluxes in vitro and in vivo. These investigations contributed significantly to elucidate neuro-glial metabolic interactions, cerebral metabolic compartmentation and the individual contribution of neurons and astrocytes to brain energetics. However, many issues in this field remain unclear and/or under debate.