2-NBDG is a fluorescence-labeled 2-deoxy-glucose analog useful as a tracer for evaluation of cellular glucose metabolism.2-NBDG can be used in many kinds of cells in vitro, such as HepG2 human hepatocarcinoma cells, L6 rat skeletal muscle cells, MCF-7 breast cancer epithelial cells and astrocytes, it is also used in disease models, epilepsy rat, hyperglycemia, diabetes or mouse xenograft model of cancer.2-NBDG enters cells through glucose transporters and is subsequently phosphorylated by hexokinase and trapped inside cells. Flow cytometric detection of fluorescence produced by cells can be performed to examine 2-NBDG uptake into living cells, and the intracellular concentration of transported 2-NBDG can be measured with a fluorescence microplate assay. It can be detected with a fluorescence imaging microscopy or CCD camera simply as well.