Glucose turnover and defense of blood glucose levels in Arctic fox (Alopex lagopus)

1. Glucose utilization was assessed in fed and fasted arctic fox, maintained on a diet similar in composition to food available in the wild. 2. Fasted (24 hr) glucose concentration was not significantly different from the fed level (134 mg/dl). 3. Fasting was associated with a significant reduction in glucose space, pool size, total entry rate, and irreversible loss which suggests a decline in gluconeogenesis. 4. Glucose recycling was not significantly different between the fed and fasted states. 5. We suggest that, in the arctic fox, the mechanism for defending blood glucose levels during fasting is based on restricting blood glucose to tissues with a high glucose dependency.