Glucose, the main source of energy in the cell, is transported in most cells through facilitated diffusion, by the transporter proteins present in the plasma membrane. These proteins constitute a family of transporters (GLUT1-GLUT7), with distinct functional features and tissue distribution. In epithelial tissues, such as intestine and renal tubule; however, glucose transport is against its gradient, and coupled to Na+, in the apical membrane of these cells through cotransporters (SGLT1-SGLT2), with posterior diffusion into the interstice through the GLUTs present in the basolateral membrane. Physiopathological changes in glucose transport started to be analysed through transporters with a view to future preventive or therapeutic approaches. Mutation in one amino acid of the SGLT1 has been described in glucose/galactose malabsorption. In familial renal glycosuria, the participation of SGLT2 and SGLT1 seems to be fundamental, either by loss of transport capacity or by decrease in the transporter affinity. De Vivo's syndrome, described in convulsive infants with hypoglycorrachia during normoglycaemia, has been attributed to a reduction in the GLUT1 content in endothelial cells at the blood-brain barrier. Extensive studies have been conducted to assess the role of GLUT4 in changes related to insulin sensitiveness, such as diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2). These studies have revealed that, in DM2, the GLUT4 content is drastically reduced, playing an important role in insulin resistance. In obesity, the GLUT4 content is not diminished providing that insulin sensitiveness is preserved. It is plausible to propose that the modulation of GLUT4 is triggered by a combination of factors indicating cellular sensitiveness to insulin. In addition to that, DM changes the GLUT1 and GLUT2 contents in the renal tubule, but the role of this modulation during the process of glucose reabsorption is still unknown.
Glucose transport; Glucose transporters; GLUT; SGLT; Diabetes mellitus