Figure 8. Increased uptake of glucose in bones of Vhl cKO mice inversely correlates with their blood glucose levels.

(A) Uptake of ¹⁸F-FDG in organs harvested from control mice 45 minutes after i.v. injection, expressed as percentage of the total documented uptake (retrieved activity) in the respective individual animals. Mean ± SEM, n = 14. (B) Uptake of ¹⁸F-FDG in the liver and various bones of control and Vhl cKO mice at 12 weeks, calculated as percentage of the total retrieved activity in the respective animal and expressed relative to the controls (n = 4–7). (C) Time-lapse imaging of ¹⁸F-FDG uptake by micro-PET (n = 6–7), showing for each genotype the coronal slice selected for highest ¹⁸F-FDG intensity at the level of the tibia (asterisk) (left image), the sagittal slice displaying the highest intensity signal in the vertebral column (arrow) (upper right), and a coronal maximum intensity projection of the hind limb (HL) (lower right). FL, forelimb. (D–F) Kinetic analyses of micro-PET scans over a 60-minute time frame (n = 6–7), showing the quantified plateau activity in the distal femur and proximal tibia (D) and kinetic analyses over the full time frame in these bone regions (E) and in the liver (F). (G and H) Analysis of correlation between glycemia level and relative ¹⁸F-FDG uptake (at 45 minutes) in bone (G) or in liver (H). Individual data points of control (black dots) and Vhl cKO (red dots) mice are shown, and P value and Pearson correlation coefficient (r) values; total n = 36. Graphs represent mean ± SEM, and *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001 by Student’s t test between genotypes, unless indicated otherwise.