Antiseizure effect of 2-deoxyglucose is not dependent on the presynaptic vacuole ATP pump or the somatic ATP-sensitive K1 channel

Inhibition of glycolysis with 2-deoxyglucose (2-DG) produces antiseizure effects in brain slices and animal models, yet the mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we examined two glycolysis-derived ATP-associated mechanisms: vacuole ATP pump (V-ATPase) and ATP-sensitive K+ channel (KATP). Epileptiform bursts were generated in the CA3 area of hippocampal slices by 0 Mg2+ and 4-aminopyridine. 2-DG consistently abolished epileptiform bursts in the presence of pyruvate (to sustain tricarboxylic acid cycle for oxidative ATP production) at 30-33°C but not at room temperature (22°C). Under physiological conditions, 2-DG did not reduce the amplitude of evoked excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) or the paired-pulse ratio in CA3 neurons. During repetitive high-frequency (20 Hz, 20-50 pulses) stimulation, 2-DG did not accelerate the decline of EPSCs (i.e., depletion of transmitter release), even when preincubated with 8 mM K+ to enhance activity-dependent uptake of 2-DG. In addition, in 2-DG tetanic stimulation (200 Hz, 1 s) dramatically increased rather than diminished the occurrence of spontaneous EPSCs immediately after stimulation (i.e., no transmitter depletion). Moreover, a V-ATPase blocker (concanamycin) failed to block epileptiform bursts that were subsequently abolished by 2-DG. Furthermore, 2-DG did not induce detectable KATP current in hippocampal neurons. Finally, epileptiform bursts were not affected by either a KATP opener (diazoxide) or a KATP blocker (glibenclamide) but were blocked by 2-DG in the same slices. Altogether, these data suggest that 2-DG's antiseizure action is temperature dependent and achieved exclusively by inhibition of glycolysis and is not likely to be mediated by the two membrane-bound ATP-associated machinery mechanisms, V-ATPase and KATP. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Inhibition of glycolysis with 2-deoxyglucose (2-DG) represents a novel metabolic antiseizure approach, yet the mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we show that 2-DG's antiseizure action is both glycolysis and temperature dependent but not mediated by the vacuole ATP pump (V-ATPase) or ATP-sensitive K+ channel (KATP). Our data provide new insights to understand 2-DG's cellular mechanisms of action and, more broadly, neuronal metabolism and excitability.