Ketone Body Enzymes in Mammalian Tissues

Utilization of ketone bodies by mammalian tissues.

It is now well established that ketone bodies (acetoacetate and D-3-hydroxybutyrate) are metabolized by many mammalian tissues and that the rate of utilization is mainly dependent on their availability in the circulation. The aim in this contribution is to summarize briefly the pathways of ketone-body metabolism and to discuss the role of ketone bodies m various tissues. For a detailed review o...

Ketone aldehydes in tissues.

Activity and intracellular distribution of enzymes of ketone-body metabolism in rat liver.

1. The activities of hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA synthase and lyase in rat liver were found to be two- to 15-fold greater than those reported by other authors under similar conditions. 2. When expressed on the basis of body weight, no appreciable differences were found between the activities of hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA synthase in whole homogenates of livers from normal and starved rats. The syn...

Influence of neonatal hypothyroidism on the development of ketone-body-metabolizing enzymes in rat brain.

Neonatal hypothyroidism markedly retarded the postnatal development of three ketone-body-metabolizing enzymes in rat brain during the first 4 weeks after birth. In contrast with normal animals, the brains of hypothyroid rats did not show decreases in the activities of these enzymes during the immediate postweaning period. The activities of ketone-body-oxidizing enzymes were markedly diminished ...

Recent developments in ketone-body metabolism.

There is now no doubt that ketone bodies (acetoacetate and D-3-hydroxybutyrate) are important oxidizable substrates for peripheral tissues, especially the brain. Although oxidation is the major fate of ketone bodies, more recent evidence suggests that ketone bodies can act as lipogenic substrates in certain tissues, notably the developing brain and the lactating mammary gland. Apart from their ...